HR is fraught with so many things that it clings to which aren’t really necessary. We publish policy after policy to no avail. It’s amazing how much is put together in manuals and handbooks with the hope that behavior will somehow be affected, changed or altered.
Recently, I was told about a company that has an eight page dress code policy !! Eight pages !! When I asked about it and actually read it, they missed things that people could wear that would really set people on end. So, instead of addressing the one or two actual people who were not wearing “appropriate” clothing, HR comes out with this eight page literary work – that no one follows !!
While I was surrounded this past week by 70,000 singing fans at the U2 concert in Chicago, the band played a favorite of mine from No Line on the Horizon called Moment of Surrender during their second encore. As I was singing along with Bono (and everyone else), I was struck by the lyrics that say “At the moment of surrender – Of vision over visibility – I did not notice the passers-by – And they did not notice me.”
We sometimes lose our vision in HR. There is so much that we need to let go of and let it float away !! If you truly look at much of what we do, our policies, procedures and systems don’t tell employees how to DO work. They focus on what NOT to do !! And, in having this approach, we’re amazed that things don’t change at work.
It’s time for us to stop doing this. We need to have ways for people to perform, excel and shine in our organizations. We need to stop trying to police behavior and, instead, build a framework and an environment where people can be engaged and utilize their strengths.
So, as you go to work this Monday, take a look at the volumes of things you write which you think are being followed. Be daring. Take a policy no one follows and rip it out of your handbook. See if anyone notices.
It’s time for us to learn to let go. What’s your next move ??
