Fear and Control Can Destroy Trust and Teamwork

Trust and teamwork are essential for a cohesive work environment, but when company policies create a culture of fear and control, your employees may look elsewhere. Eliminate these rules that taint morale and negatively impact your staff relations, productivity and growth.

Mandatory Doctor Notes

Employees face illness periodically. Company policies that mandate employees provide proof of an illness or a doctor's note tramples on trust. Avoid treating your staff like children, and foster a culture of personal responsibility to eliminate fear in the workplace.

Ranking Systems

Healthy competition in a work environment is often motivating and fun. However, when your employee reviews or appraisals are based on a ranking system, the end result is that you are pitting employees against each other. Refrain from placing ranks or numbers on your staff in a public forum to maintain a level of professionalism in the office.

Consequences for Absences

Managers who recognize that employee absences are sometimes necessary are more likely to improve morale and productivity. Instead of creating company policies that deter any type of absence, focus more on employee production. If a staff member needs to take a half day for a medical appointment or family obligation, he should not feel afraid to do so, especially if daily or weekly tasks are complete.

Expiring Sick or Personal Time

Company policies that do not allow employees compensation for remaining sick or personal days upon resignation or termination foster a sense of control that ultimately hurts the firm's workflow. For example, if an employee has rendered his two weeks but has five remaining sick days, you run the risk of unexpected call ins so the time is not lost. Avoid providing incentives for your staff to use this time and instead, offer compensation after their time is up with your firm.

Production Unit Penalties

Goals in the workplace help to drive productivity and offer employees something to work toward on the job. However, if your company policies stipulate disciplinary actions for unmet goals, you could be fostering a culture of fear. Encourage your employees to stay on task, but know that as a manager, you must be flexible when reviewing goals. Employees may be focusing on new initiatives or thinking outside the box, causing previously set goals to falter. Focus more on communicating initiatives and encouraging innovative ideas versus dictating punishments for goals that are no longer relevant.

Offering employees guidelines and direction does not mean you have to create company policies that provoke a culture of control and fear. Eliminate rules that negatively affect your staff's morale, and focus on ways to motivate, inspire and build a cohesive environment where innovation is encouraged. As a result, employee productivity and customer satisfaction may begin to soar.

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