watching the company rules 8

[2dye4]

I have a person who works in my group that has become a master
at obeying the companies rules.
When given an assignment he will go far enough to find a
conflict with the company rules, like an obscure purchasing
procedure that requires a VP signature or a procedure
that requires many approvals but which has not in recent
history been observed as required. In short he looks for the
loopholes in the company procedures and uses them to
be a pain in the rear.
On the other hand the guy is obeying the rules. But only for
his benefit.

It is of course difficult to discipline this guy for this
kind of behavior since he has does nothing wrong.

My point is that every company has conflicting rules and
an understood way to do things and this guy is not playing
along.

How can we force the issue that he must be a team player???

 

[HVAC68]

Change the company rules to what is practically and realistic possible to do and achieve.

HVAC68

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

the guy is obeying the rules. But only for
his benefit.

What is the benefit for him? It sounds more like he is trying to get himself fired so that he can claim unfair dismissal.

Just point out to him that what he is doing is affecting his colleagues respect for him, his advancement within the company & of course his salary.

or ...
Whenever he exposes a conflicting rule/procedure, eliminate or change it. Eventually you will have a "perfect" set of rules he won't be able to "break".

or ...
Beat him at his own game. Create idiotic procedures & make him, & only him, follow them till he gets the message.


Helpful SW websites faq559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions faq559-1091

 

[MikeHalloran]

The world has changed.

In an ISO or FDA or QS controlled environment, there are supposed to be written rules to follow, and you're supposed to be disciplined for _not_ following the rules, or _the_company_ is disciplined by losing its certs or not being allowed to ship product.

If you have "unwritten rules" that everyone is expected to observe, especially if they conflict with the written rules, you need to start writing them down. If you have silly rules, you need to fix them.

Your slacker friend could be the only survivor of the next surprise audit. Not that it will do him any good, with you having put the company out of business with your lax behaviors.

Team players honor the rules of the game, too.





Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[lostsailor]

2dye4,
If company employees are not going to follow established procedures why not just toss them all out the window? The
"rules" were developed for a reason and if they are not producing the desired outcome then they need to be revised.
I understand your frustration with an employee who uses company policies to be a PITA but to hold him accountable for that sort of behavior is on the same plane as everyone else bypassing or using "unwritten" rules in the name of expediency. Mike Halloran makes an excellent point, imho your company has some management issues to deal with.
Regards,
RLS

 

[zdas04]

I started in nuclear power and as you might imagine there are a LOT of rules there. When we were in Overhaul we had to check the position of all critical valves at the start of each shift. One night a couple of us had been getting grief about taking too long for the check (it took an hour) so we decided to follow ALL the rules, no shortcuts. We didn't finish the check on our 8 hour shift. When the Chief Engineer called us in at the end of shift to chew off a bit of flesh, we asked him "which rules should we have ignored?". It turns out that there were a couple of rules that could be "facilitated" (e.g., by pre-positioning tools in glove bags on valves that had to be checked three times a day). The outcome was that a horrible task could be done much faster and still within the rules.

We called this technique the "Cotton-Covered Rock", push anywhere and it gives, push really hard and nothing happens.

The best solution to your problem is to challenge the guy to actually follow the rules. If a VP approval is required, have him write a memo on the project in the standard executive-one-page format and make an appointment with the guy. Don't accept his "I'm shut down because the VP has to sign the document" make him explain why he hasn't already prepared the memo and Fed-Ex'd it to wherever it needs to go. If the rules are dumb or outdated then a few memo's to VP's, Board Members, etc. should get them sorted out.

David

 

[SomptingGuy]

I had a situation some years ago as a junior engineer, trying to close out a small project I had managed. Unaware of project closeout procedures, I consulted our company operations manual. It described a procedure in depth and then explicitly stated that the procedure only applied to projects larger than a certain size (mine was smaller). And for small projects, there was no procedure. So I did nothing.

Eventually one of the senior procedures managers registered a complaint to my manager about me for not following the correct procedures!

I wasn't trying to make a point or work-to-rule or anything, just get my job done. My colleagues couldn't tell me what to do so I consulted the manual.

 

[zcp]

2dye4,

When faced with this situation, I have often switched to the "results based" management technique. In this mode, you assign a task and expect it to be completed. It is up to your rules follower to complete the task while following the company rules. You expect him to complete the task, even if it means extra hours, extra work, whatever it takes (in other words, there are no excuses). If he does not complete the task, you reprimand him for it. If he points to the rules as what is holding him up, you say, "everyone else seems to be getting the job done, why are you unable to?" Eventually he will catch on or you can dismiss him for inability to complete assigned tasks. Good luck.

ZCP

http://www.phoenix-engineer.com

 

[EngJW]

It is just as frustrating when there are established rules and procedures, but your boss expects you to work around them. Suppose you can't get your parts because purchasing did not pay the vendor, and purchasing was told to delay payments, but the vp of engineering will not take it up with the vp of finance. "It's your problem" is the response.

 

[2dye4]

I appreciate the feedback so far.

thanks

One thing to add is that I don't want to sit in a
courtroom explaining to a jury about reprimanding or
otherwise disciplining an employee for following company
policy.

The real problem is that my company has lots of rules.
Kind of like the speed limit. Who drives the speed limit??

In the event of becoming unhappy with an employeed there
are allways small infractions that can be documented for
purposes of dismissal.
Many of these revolve around the internet. We should not
download anything from the internet. But every day our
people need to get things from cyberspace to help them
do their work. If you ask a peer they just say go ahead
just don't tell anyone.

Work times for instance. Not allowed to leave the property
until work time is over.
But routinely sent out to get something at Office store
or other local shop. It soon occurs to an employee that
he can go out on his own if he needs something.
Once again everybody does it, but it is technically a
no-no.

I think I will get this guy promoted out of my space.
Thats the new way of solving problems.

thanks

 

[PhilBW]

All of us have little quirks, and for some people, their quirk is that they don't feel like they have done something properly if they don't follow all the rules. They aren't trying to be difficult. That is just their personality type. This guy could just as easily start a thread in this forum about all the people he works with who cut corners and don't follow the rules, even though they are plainly written down.

Most companies have good reasons when they write a new rule or procedure. The trick is to review those rules and procedures periodically and eliminate the ones that no longer apply. It doesn't sound like that has been happening in your company. I agree with those above who said to eliminate rules that are no longer necessary or practical.

 

[MintJulep]

Give him the job of reviewing the existing rules and preparing a revision that eliminates obsolete procedures, and adds any new procedures needed.

 

[zcp]

EngJW got me thinking about needing to qualify my previous post. I am assumed from 2dye4's initial post that this guy was a pain and the rest of the workforce is able to complete their assigned work with no problems. If you work in a place like what EngJW has alluded to then it is an entirely different story.....maybe you can get your team together and get them to understand that team success will lead to individual success. Try to focus on the overall objective and get your people to buy into results instead of roadblocks. Peer pressure may help tailor this individual to what is needed.

ZCP

http://www.phoenix-engineer.com

 

[jmw]

Not like the speed limit.
Rules and procedures are a requisite part of your ISO 9002 or whatever.

Company rules are intended to govern the behaviour of employees.

The real problem is how good or how bad are the rules?
I they are bad it means they are not used and that means there is a lack of alignment in the company....
Someone wrote them. It is usually that persons job to stay on top of them and ensure they are appropriate. These rules are as important to the management of the company and its procedures ass standards are to engineering.

So you might say that if management doesn't ensure that rules are enforced, it means something is wrong: to be effective not only do rules have to be appropriate you also need:
[ul][li]monitoring[/li]
[li]verification[/li]
[li]compliance[/li]
[li]enforcement[/li]
[li]implementation[/li][/ul]

No metrics? no performance, no compliance and poor enforcement. Poor enforcement doesn't mean that people who break the rules will not be found out, it just means that it is a lottery as to who gets caught and when and what happens... sods law takes over....

Incidentally:

"I think I will get this guy promoted out of my space.
Thats the new way of solving problems."

Wrong. It has been the way for ever.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[Ashereng]

2dye4

I was wondering, what does your colleague do after finding the obscure rules?

Does he come back to you and say he can't do anything, and dumps it back on your lap? If so, you may want to suggest to him that it is still his assignment, and he needs to solve the problem, remove the roadblock, and get his job done.

Does he come back to you and says he needs to do x,y,z, because the company rules says he needs to do them? If so, then you may want to help him eliminate the roadblocks together, per the company rules, including changing the company rules to reflect the "better" way to do them.

Ignoring written company policy, rules, etc. is not a good idea.

In some cases, it can lead to legal trouble (both civil and criminal).

In other cases, it can lead to injury/safety infraction.

It seems to me that in this situation, your colleague may be doing you and your company a favour.

 

[dogleg43]

RE:

***************
zcp (Mechanical) 2 Dec 05 8:32
2dye4,

When faced with this situation, I have often switched to the "results based" management technique.

***************

This comment typifies what is wrong with MBA's and their management styles.

Overbearing and ridiculous rules are put into place and then you are expected to circumvent them in order to get the project done on time. But lookout if you get caught not following the rules because the bosses won't back you up.

The people who put some of these rules into place need to go back and try to do a job following them (AND make money at the same time)!

 

[bioengr82]

As a young engineer with little experience, I often find my self looking up company procedures or rules. The problem is you are assuming that this individual is able to differentate between what is outdated and silly and perfectly reasonable. The VP rule could be a relic from when the company had 50 employees and the VP was right down the hall. Or it could be perfectly reasonable that it was instituted recently because he/she truely needs to know that information to perform his/her function correctly. How would you know?

Unlike many laws which are on the books that are ignored because they are commonly understood to be idiotic (i.e. it is illegal for women in Tucson to wear pants), coorporate rules and laws and the rational behind them are not readly aparent.

If the procedures are truley outdated and not necessary tell him to stop following them and no one will care or notice.

If anyone would care or notice then it is time to change the rule or follow it.

 

[Ashereng]

bioengr82,

As my friend often said, "Tonight, I go to bed a little bit less stupid."

This is the reason why I joined this forum. I am always learning something new. I did not know women are not allowed to wear pants in Tucson.

You bring up a good point - how do we know what the original rational / intent / purpose of a policy/rule? I guess the way I look at it is from a more current view point. Is this rule still relevant - this way, the history of it is not so important.

We go to school, apprenticeships, gain knowledge and experience, so that we are capable of self-thought. To express our own ideas. To question.

If I think a rule or policy is no longer applicable, I ask. I talk to my peers, my boss, my client, etc. If the policy/rule still doesn't make sense to us, then we to to the policy/rule custodians and ask for an exception to the policy/rule (e.g. many companies allows exceptions to their standards if based on valid reasons). Or, if I feel stronger in my conviction, I can apply to have the policy/rule ammended, nulled, etc. (although since I do not work for an owner/producer, I haven't have much opportunity to do this).

The key thing is to bring it up, examine it, ask questions, and hopefully find a resolution to move on.

 

[jmw]

The VP rule is fairly common.

When times are bad, expect to expand to cover more activities and, if it is qualified with a set of coonditions, expect them to tighten up. For example, the limit at which lower beings can spend money without authorisation changes up or down according to company health.

This type of rule is intended to ensure that the management are aware of any serious undertakings by their employees that may affect cash flow, profitability, margins, legal liabilities etc. etc.

When times get tough you may find that even requisitioning more pens or paper needs a management signature.

Big risks or expenditures often require just about everyone senior has had a say and to get some signatures you may need to put in a big effort and write some justifications.

If you have ignored these rules when times were good, you may get away with it but never ever ignore them when times are bad.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[RDK]

Having worked for the government where there are so many rules that are not enforced because that would stop all progress, I have adopted the guiding principle that one should only make simple rules and enforce them all.

If your internal systems are so cumbersome that work cannot get done except by ignoring the rules then you have two options, Change the rules to be reasonable and effective or stop doing anything productive and follow the rules.

Your ‘problem’ employee is simply doing his job. You have not done yours as management by streamlining the rules so that an employee to actually accomplishing something while following the rules.

Let me ask one thing. If something went so wrong that a major lawsuit or other disaster occurred, who would take the blame the employee for not following the rules or the management for not having rules that worked?

If management is willing to state publicly in advance that it would take the blame because the rules were not followable then why not change the rules?

If the employee would take the blame (and this will happen in 99.999999999% of all cases) then you cannot fault the employee for following the rules.

Actually you should be thanking this employee for having the courage to demonstrate that your rules are unworkable and useless and in dire need of modification.


Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com