Bad rules can kill company loyalty and teach the wrong things to your kids.

Bad rules can kill company loyalty.  If as leaders we demand that employees be at their desks between 8 and 5 (regardless of the necessity or job position), and if it cuts into quality time with their children, you have needlessly created a situation for employee resentment.  Each day they leave their children early to be at their post regardless  of the need, they will be reminded of the pain your "rule" is inflicting on their little darlings.  Not a smart way to build loyalty.

Plus by dictating a same time every day policy you have taken away the opportunity for them to learn how to balance and plan their own time.  That skill might come in handy the next time they are managing a multi-million dollar client project. 

When leaders allow their workers to shift and set their own schedule (if appropriate for the job) to optimize time with their families, you have made a loyal employee for life. You can measure the bottom line loyalty value of a work force that stays on the job longer, with a smile on their face.  Admittedly it is hard to measure the smile, but if the average turnover rate is 30% in your industry,and you cut it to 15% with compassionate leadership policies, their is a huge savings to the bottom line. 

The same can happen with hard and fast "rules" for your own family.  If you tell your kids they can’t watch TV until their homework is done they will most often rush through their homework assignments resenting you for making them miss the one good program they enjoy watching. 

If you allow children to select the time they are allocating for homework they will learn how to balance their time and they will learn how to be responsible to get work done on a schedule that they created (ownership).  Those are valuable skills they will never learn when they are ordered to follow a hard and fast rule setting a specific time they didn't choose for homework.  Put them in control of their own schedule and you won't need to hold a gun to their head each night.  It is magic when done right. 

Comments

[Jeanne Schneider]

It's a shame that Bank of America didn't read this before they sent all of our USA jobs to India. After almost 20 years all I got was a severance package and a lot of BS about if we ever need a new manager we would pick you. I have applied and one person there has apparently blackballed me for unknown reasons. Even theirhuman services department has no clue. It's a shame, they lost a valuable asset to the "personal side" of a great employee.

[TheClosingTouch]

Great post. With freedom comes responsibility and when we allow people to take ownership of their choices and the consequences of those choicdes; we all win. Just like free enterprise - it works!