Don’t say “oops!” daddy. Say you’re sorry,’ my son screamed at me after I accidentally bumped into him. It was awkward getting rebuked by a 3 year old. It felt like an attack on me. I was ready to lecture him on respecting elders when it dawned on me that I had just let him down. See, my son had listened well to my teachings and was expecting me to live by my own code of conduct. I thought of another time when he said, ‘its because you didn’t pray when sleeping. That is why I had a bad dream’. I was ashamed.
Just like children in our homes, employees at work will learn and understand whatever policy is explained to them by their supervisors; but they also expect their superiors to practice what they preach. They are constantly checking to see if the conduct of their leaders aligns with policy or not.
I guess being watched by juniors is the only downside to sharing all the rules with staff. But that is exactly the point! Giving employees access to every rule of the organisation helps to regulate their behaviour, and that of their managers. Accountability is promoted on both sides.
The experience with my son taught me that there is always some junior employee watching and looking forward to seeing an example in their boss.
Policies act as a deterrent to wrong doing as they warn of consequences. That is why policies are to be explained in full, and not in part. You cannot hide some Policies and only produce them when you see an opportunity to pin someone. Someone who is not aware of the rules cannot be reprimanded. But you can reprimand someone who fails to share the rules.
When displayed in public, rules serve you and the organisation better than hiding them. Like my son, employees may use them to rebuke you, but share them anyway. It is no use hiding policies.
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