A big part of the overload of policy that has become the corporate norm is the ever-growing need for companies to protect themselves. I work for a company that has a policy for every HR situation that could possibly occur. If x happens, the response will be y. This does not allow managers any flexibility in dealing with the nuances of individual situations, so we end up firing people who really don't need firing. However annoying and inefficient it may be, this insistence on consistency is the only thing that keeps our company safe from lawsuits. If everyone is treated the same, no one can say they were fired because of their gender, ethnicity, or other personal trait. Everything is objective and documented. It's dehumanizing, but the alternative would be even more destructive.
On Oct 3, 2013 ParkerB wrote:
A big part of the overload of policy that has become the corporate norm is the ever-growing need for companies to protect themselves. I work for a company that has a policy for every HR situation that could possibly occur. If x happens, the response will be y. This does not allow managers any flexibility in dealing with the nuances of individual situations, so we end up firing people who really don't need firing. However annoying and inefficient it may be, this insistence on consistency is the only thing that keeps our company safe from lawsuits. If everyone is treated the same, no one can say they were fired because of their gender, ethnicity, or other personal trait. Everything is objective and documented. It's dehumanizing, but the alternative would be even more destructive.