8 stupid workplace rules that make everyone miserable

8 stupid workplace rules that make everyone miserable8 stupid workplace rules that make everyone miserableCompanies need to have rules - thats a given - but they dont have to be shortsighted and lazy attempts at creating order.I understand the temptation. As my company has grown, so has our difficulty maintaining standards. There have been many instances where someone crossed a line, and we were tempted to respond with a new rule that applied to everyone.But thats where most companies blow it.In just about every instance, upon closer inspection, we realized that establishing a new rule would be a passive and morale-killing way to address the problem. The vast majority of the time, the problem needs to be handled one-on-one by the employees manager.When companies create ridiculous and demoralizing rules to halt the outlandish behavior of a few individuals, its a management problem. Theres no sense in alienating your entire workforce because you dont know how to manage performance. I t makes a schwimmbad situation that much worse.Here are some of the worst rules that companies create when they fall into this trap.1. Bell curves and forced rankings of performanceSome individual talents follow a natural bell-shaped curve, but job performance does leid. When you force employees to fit into a pre-determined ranking system, you do three things 1) incorrectly evaluate peoples performance, 2) make everyone feel like a number, and 3) create insecurity and dissatisfaction when performing employees fear that theyll be fired due to the forced system.This is yet another example of a lazy policy that avoids the hard and necessary work of evaluating each individual objectively, based on his or her merits.2. Ridiculous requirements for attendance, leave, and time offPeople are salaried for the work they do, not the specific hours they sit at their desks. When you ding salaried employees for showing up five minutes late even though they routinely stay late and put in time on th e weekend, you send the message that policies take precedence over performance. It reeks of distrust, and you should never put someone on salary that you dont trust.When companies are unnecessarily strict in requiring documentation for bereavement and medical leave, it leaves a sour taste in the mouths of employees who deserve better. After all, if you have employees who will fake a death to miss a days work, what does that say about your company?3. Restricting Internet useThere are certain sites that no one should be visiting at work, and Im not talking about Facebook. But once you block pornography and the other obvious stuff, its a difficult and arbitrary process deciding where to draw the line.Most companies draw it in the wrong place. People should be able to kill time on the Internet during breaks. When companies unnecessarily restrict peoples Internet activity, it does more than demoralize those that cant check Facebook it limits peoples ability to do their jobs.Many companie s restrict Internet activity so heavily that it makes it difficult for people to do online research. The most obvious example? Checking the Facebook profile of someone you just interviewed.4. Banning mobile phonesIf I ban mobile phones in the office, no one will waste time texting and talking to family and friends, right? Ya, right. Organizations need to do the difficult work of hiring people who are trustworthy and who wont take advantage of things.They also need to train managers to deal effectively with employees who underperform and/or violate expectations (such as spending too much time on their phones). This is also hard work, but its worth it.The easy, knee-jerk alternative (banning phones) demoralizes good employees who need to check their phones periodically due to pressing family or health issues or as an appropriate break from work.5. Draconian e-mail policiesThis is a newer one thats already moving down a slippery slope. Some companies are getting so restrictive with e-m ail use that employees must select from a list of pre-approved topics before the e-mail software will allow them to send a message. Again, its about trust.If you dont trust your people to use e-mail properly, why did you hire them in the first place? In trying to rein in the bad guys, you make everyone miserable every time they send an e-mail. And guess what? The bad guys are the ones who will find ways to get around any system you put in place.6. Stealing employees frequent-flyer milesIf theres one thing that road-weary traveling employees earn, its their frequent flier miles. When employers dont let people keep their miles for personal use, its a greedy move that fuels resentment with every flight.Work travel is a major sacrifice of time, energy, and sanity. Taking employees miles sends the message that you dont appreciate their sacrifice and that youll hold on to every last dollar at their expense.7. Pathetic attempts at political correctnessMaintaining high standards for how peo ple treat each other is a wonderful thing as we live in a world thats rife with animosity and discrimination. Still employers have to know where to draw the line.Going on a witch-hunt because someone says Bless you to another employee that sneezed (real example) creates an environment of paranoia and stifled self-expression, without improving how people treat each other.8. Shutting down self-expression (personal items and dress code)Many organizations control what people can have at their desks. A life-size poster of a shirtless Fabio? I get it thats a problem. But employers dictate how many photographs people can display, whether or not they can use a water bottle, and how many items theyre allowed to place on their desks. Once again, its the ol If I could just hire robots I wouldnt have this problem approach.Same goes for dress codes. They work well in private high schools, but theyre unnecessary at work. Hire professionals and theyll dress professionally. When someone crosses the line, their manager needs to have the skill to address the issue directly.Otherwise, youre making everyone wish they worked somewhere else because management is too inept to handle touchy subjects effectively.Bringing it all togetherIf companies can rethink their policies and remove or alter those that are unnecessary or demoralizing, well all have a more enjoyable and productive time at work.Travis Bradberry is the coauthor of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and the cofounder of TalentSmart.This article originally appeared onLinkedIn.