Everyone wants to know the rules of the game and want others to be playing by the same rules.

Brian Cruise

Sporting events have rules that must be followed. Players have coaches who teach the rules and there are referees who enforce those same rules. Sanctions or penalties are applied when the rules are broken. When any of the participants don’t do their job, the game degenerates into chaos. The same thing happens in our workplaces. Rules apply to every part of our businesses, from attendance management and standard operating procedures to respectful behaviour and vacation allocation.

A key feature of successful businesses is the development, communication and consistent application of their workplace rules. Four steps make it work for them.

1.    Establish the Rules  Rules come in many forms. Some are given to us (think Human Rights Code, WorkSafe Regulations, Motor Vehicle Act), some we develop with partners (collective agreements, some policies and procedures), others we establish under our rights as the employer/manager of the business (job performance standards). All these workplace rules, policies and procedures are in place to guide supervisor’s, manager’s and employee’s actions and decisions. Their purpose is the safe and efficient operation of the business. When they are well managed, rules benefit everyone involved in the workplace.

2.    Communicate the Rules  Having rules is of little value to anyone (or the business) if your people don’t understand them or don’t know they exist. If the rules of your business sit in a computer or 3-ring binder but are seldom reviewed, they will not be used effectively. Without a clear set of rules to guide employee’s actions and decisions, the result is confusion, delay, unfairness, mistakes, frustration or worse. Employees and their workplace leaders have a right to training on the workplace rules. Without this training, you cannot hold them accountable for failing to follow your rules.

3.    Apply the Rules Consistently and Fairly  Employees don’t expect decisions to always go their way but they do have a right to expect that, given similar circumstances, they will get the same answer or be treated in the same manner as another worker. Supervisors are sometimes reluctant to hold employees accountable to workplace rules, policies and procedures for more reasons than can be listed here. But when they are confronted with an accusation of applying a rule to one employee and ignoring the same rule with another employee, accusations of unfair treatment, harassment and discrimination result. Anger, frustration, defiance and grievances will soon follow. Next thing you know, production and customer service are pushed aside for as long as it takes to resolve the conflict.

4.    Address Non-Conformance with the Rules Consistently and Fairly  There will always be situations where someone breaks the rules. Sometimes they do so knowingly, other times they don’t. Either way, corrective action must be taken or those same accusations of unfair treatment will be raised. Supervisors, managers and other workplace leaders must understand how to investigate and undertake corrective action (usually some form of progressive response including coaching, discipline, termination). The purpose of the corrective action is to change behaviour and send a message to the rest of the workforce.

So, how do we move beyond the principles of ‘management rights’ and ‘agent of the employer’ to establish and maintain workplaces that are set up for success? And how do we ‘manage employee performance’ to get the best possible results without turning our workplaces into military style dictatorships, places of chaos where no one seems to be in charge, or places where a union or small group of employees has taken de facto control? One important step is to establish workplace rules, train supervisors and employees on when and how they apply and to follow up with enforcement.

About the Author:

Brian Cruise is the principle of Cruise HR Solutions Corp., a Vancouver Island based human resources consulting firm. Cruise HR Solutions offers a wide range of HR services to its clients.