Every company has its own rules but unfortunately, some of them cross the line. Let’s look at some ridiculous company rules below which will make you appreciate your own employer.
Internet Restrictions: Companies do not want their employees to kill time on social media or on video sites. However, sometimes using social media or watching a video on Youtube may be necessary for doing a job. For example; if you are going to meet with a client, you need to do your research and look up this person on Internet and gather as much information as you can about him/her. Therefore, if your employer blocks the use of LinkedIn or Facebook, then, it limits your ability to do your job. Likewise, let’s assume you are working on a spreadsheet and don’t know about macros, then it is best for you to watch tutorials about this topic on Youtube. If Youtube is banned in your company, then you are going to waste more time for finding alternative ways about learning macros. Therefore, rather than blocking certain websites, the company needs to have a policy which lets you to use your own judgment.
Strict office and lunch hours: Obviously, it is not ethical to show up work late everyday but unfortunately, some companies even make 5 minutes a problem. People are not programmed robots; they are human beings and can sometimes have problems. Therefore, if this employee does a good job, stays late or put in extra hours on weekends, then the company should not make 5-10 minutes a problem. Similarly, some companies have strict lunch hours which require you to eat your lunch at the designated time frame. However, this is not very practical due to globalization and different time frames used throughout the US and the world. Maybe, the only available time frame for a global webinar is your lunch hour so what are you going to do? Go eat your lunch or do your meeting and snack for the rest of the day? Most people choose the second option but unfortunately, doing this many times can ruin your health and may cause you problems in the future.
Timed Bathroom Breaks: This is probably one of the worst office rules that limit people’s personal freedoms. This rule is mostly used for employees working in call centers so that they can answer as many calls as possible and don’t waste much time going to the bathroom. What if you are not feeling well that day and you need more in the bathroom? Probably, you need to bring in a note from a doctor so you can get extra minutes to stay in the bathroom. In my opinion, this rule is a breach to human rights and I am not sure how companies are allowed to have such a rule.
