Stop Sheep-like Compliance and Start Breaking the Rules Today

Folks!I am so over the current trend of HR-bashing! Human Resources, the bane of any creative or proactive organisation. Bah!I’m even more OVER the common view of HR’s stubborn sheep-like compliance to nonsensical rules, regulations and standard operating procedures. Barf!I’m vexed about the rather annoying perception of HR Practitioners digging in their heels refusing to give up their ‘blankie’ – their comforter of the old Employee Handbook. Boo!

What To Do?

What will you do?At Aquarius HR, this is how we are doing our bit to rewrite the tired-old script.Our quest is to transform HR’s relevance with Creative HR. An audacious grizzly-sized goal to be sure.  It’s rather scary but we wouldn’t want it any tamer.Tame? That would be far too humdrum a chore with no rich pickings for an interesting story. That would never do!So, are you serious about transforming HR into:

• A force that helps drive positive change?
• A builder of an environment where creativity is welcome and innovation bubbles?

You are welcome to join us. The more the merrier!Creative HR is the jumping off point for this odyssey. For an important recap, quickly pop over to my post on Creative HR – here.Come right back so we can continue our journey together. You don’t want to miss this.In this post I plan to encourage you to break all the rules!Rule Breakers live on the edge – perhaps even a little on the dark side. But they are most definitely remembered. After all, “you are remembered for the rules you break.” Douglas MacArthur. Five-star general, a past Chief of Staff of the United States Army.Are you still with me? Good!

Rules Are Meant To Be Broken

The headline read…Rule-heavy workplaces undermine staff output and creativity, warns CIPD.“Too many unnecessary rules and too much office politics is clearly having an impact on office morale […] Survey findings suggest that a factor causing rising disengagement is people in roles where they are not doing work aligned to their skills.” People Management, CIPD.This is an immense opportunity for HR. One which HR Practitioners would be foolish to miss.

HR’s 4 Step Guide to Breaking the Rules

Now let’s be clear. I am not encouraging you to break any laws – employment or otherwise.1. Seek and Destroy. I am 100% encouraging you to actively seek out and break – actually make that smash – all rules, policies and standard operating procedures that,

• Are obsolete.
• Are an insult to common sense.
• Don’t contribute to the fulfillment of the organisation’s purpose
• Discourages desired values and behaviours.
• Suck the humanness, creativity, independent thinking out of the organisation.
• Make HR look like a Dodo!

“Rules should be questioned, tested, reviewed over time and broken if they are not law or commandment.” Jeffrey Hayzlett, Think Big, Act Bigger.2. Plug into the Power of WHY? HR must shrug off its reputation for being a slave to the SOP. Begin by challenging the ‘conventional’ and question the ‘accepted’ HR wisdom and norm.Ask the question: Does this rule support human value creation (HVC)? If the answer is no; ditch it completely or replace with one that has HVC at its heart.3. Lead with the heart and reinforce with the mind. The way employees feel about the organisation, the meaning of their work and the value of their contribution is the key to locking in their engagement.Without their engagement it will be a hard, likely impossible, slog for the organisation to achieve its purpose and business goals. Take a leaf out of this Royal rule breaker playbook. “I don’t go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not from the head.” Diana, Princess of Wales.4. Be disobedient. Mediocrity blindly follows the rules.Today's businesses and the employee community do not want an altruistic mush of HR 'tea and sympathy'. This is not an acceptable replacement for impact, relevant action and meaningful contribution.Maths was not my top subject; but this equation I do understand.“Disobedience + Persistence = Enormous success." James Altucher. To help you take real action, he serves up Nine Techniques to be Disobedient.

Free Thy Employee Community from the Chains of the Old SOPs

Here's A Real HR Rule Breaker #101 Case Study: Absence Reporting.Scenario Summary: A Department manager requests a meeting with the HR Manager. He wants to issue a written warning to a direct report for failure to follow company procedure in reporting their absence from work.The Absence Reporting SOP states that an employee must first try to reach their manager via the manager’s company issued mobile phone. If unsuccessful, they are to call the main switchboard so the call may be transferred to the manager or to leave a message stating they are unable to report to work.Department manager reports: The employee did try to contact the manager via the company-issued mobile phone. This is evidenced by the 3 missed calls. However, the employee failed to follow Company procedure. They did not call the switchboard but instead sent a ‘Whatsapp’ to their manager to report that they are sick and not able to report for work.The manager was busy and did not check his phone or messages until 2 hours after the employee was due to start work. It was too late to make arrangements to cover the employee’s work.Compliant HR Manager’s Response: This is a clear breach of the Company’s absence reporting policy. This offense does call for a written warning in accordance with the Company’s performance management – disciplinary policy. Be sure to use the updated written warning template in the shared file on the Z:Drive.Note to self: I must make sure I tighten up the Social Media policy and procedure too.The HR Rule Breaker’s Response: Thank you for bringing this outdated SOP to our attention. This policy urgently needs updating to include reporting absence via instant messaging.HR will amend and reissue within 24 hours.It’s time we take the burden of capturing employee calls and messages away from the main switchboard – especially now that all Department Managers have a company-issued smart phone.Be sure to check your phone regularly for messages from your team.I recommend that we thank that employee for highlighting this outdated policy to us. A warning letter is not appropriate in this instance.Note to self: I must make sure I review that restrictive Social Media policy and procedure. Some flexibility is needed to guide the use of Social Media to support the operation.“Any fool can make a rule. And every fool will mind it.” Henry David Thoreau – writer, philosopher.

HR Rule Breakers Needed

BREAK THE RULES! Conscious disobedience is absolutely not the path for the faint-hearted.

If you are brave, the opportunities to make an impact and strike a blow against the meh! of mediocrity, are enormous.

Go on, live on the edge. Let’s reclaim sense from nonsense to set HR on the path to relevance and valuable contribution.

Leave a comment. Tell us about your HR Rule Breaker activities and thinking. I would love to read them.

Do share this post with an existing or future HR Rule Breaker.

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” Katherine Hepburn, Actor.

Until we meet again next week down the HR Rabbit Hole…