My rules, no matter what!

As it occurred to you that you may be asking too much? Sometimes I do, sometimes I feel like I deserve it. In our personal life, this issue may end up in conflicts and some situations that you need to re-evaluate your position. The damage is often insignificant and a simple apology will fix everything. On the other hand, on a professional level, it can be disastrous.




When you get hired for a job, we need to remember that this company has many employees to manage and that it cannot meet all personal requirements. It's a matter of simple logic...

Of course, any good company always have some internal policies to accommodate their staff on some issues or personal constraints. They do their best to make your job a dream come true. But there is simply no way that they can meet all your demands. The reason is easy: they have to plan ahead to stay competitive and productive.

If you feel that your employer is unfair, think about this: how can you make a hundred people happy and productive? If you have the answer, better start your own business!




For example, everybody has to comply by their schedule. Being late is more than missing just a few minutes. Some people may be waiting on your arrival, a meeting may rescheduled, a potential customer may be lost. If a hundred employees are late only 6 minutes, the same day, the whole company has been late for 600 minutes... That's 10 hours for a single day, lost in production time, paid in salary...

This is just for scheduled times. Now add personal preferences like a private office, a closer parking space, a bigger screen, a more flexible tasks management, a remote access... The list can go on and on... The only way for a company to be fair with everyone is to apply the same rules to everybody, even if, in some cases, the individual deserves a special treatment.

A staff is made of real people and that means all kinds of people. You may be dedicated, someone else will be lazy. You may be polite, someone else will be rude. You may be loyal and someone else will abuse the rules. There will always be some employees that are dishonest... And your company has to manage those that do not care.

Does it mean that you cannot ask for something? Go head, the worst that can happen is hearing no. Make sure to:

- Ask for something that will benefit all the staff AND the company
- Stay polite and open minded
- Evaluate the financial impact (cost over benefits)
- Are not threatening (someone else can do your job too)
- State that you understand their reasons




Keep in mind that proposing or suggesting is better than requiring. If your idea will benefit others and the company, you may end up as a manager after a while.

If your demands only benefit you, there is a good chance that the company will decline. Unless you can prove that you will double your production time over night...

Fairness is not about you, it's about everybody. As Mulder would say: You are not alone...


Patrick Balleux