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Whenever
more than one person is involved, you can count on differences of opinion
because no two humans think exactly alike. Rules serve as foundation for
your business practices. There are three kinds of rules to consider:
Required.
There are some rules that are required by law in every business. Examples of
important policies and rules you will need to address include: smoking,
sexual harassment, drugs and alcohol, worker safety and paid family or
medical leave. Having these formally and clearly posted around the work
place and included in employee handbooks can prevent lawsuits and may be
required by law in some states.
Optional
but appropriate. These rules are not required by law. They communicate how
you want your business to be run and what kind of behaviors you expect. For
example, you may institute a policy or rule about answering the phone, when
it is appropriate to start cleaning the shop before closing or how to handle
requests for time off.
Overly
rigid. The key to rules is maintaining a balance. Businesses that try to
manage by dictatorship are no more effective than businesses that manage by
chance. For example, a company suddenly decides to institute a company-wide
shirt and tie or blouse and skirt policy. There are people who perform
manual labor, and the majority of business is done without face-to-face
customer contact. This rule can breed resentment, frustration and a whole
lot of headaches.
It’s
important to have a sound reason for your rules and to communicate them to
your employees. Rules provide an important structure to all business
activities, but it’s important not to squelch your team’s creativity,
ingenuity and enthusiasm.
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