# Stupid/Useless rules your work has that nobody follows **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 22, 2019, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007 "2019-02-22T10:52:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/21 "2019-02-22T16:25:39Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > If there isn’t, there ought to be. > > Why are you in favor of infirm relatives lying on the floor in their own piss for hours on end? If you worked at such a place, you’d just have to find someone else to be the emergency contact. Or maybe they could call you at the office number. Back to the topic: Our office prohibits talking (work related) on cell phones while driving. Universally ignored I think. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/22 "2019-02-22T16:30:14Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My son’s employer has even stricter rules regarding cellphones. No cellphones ever, zero tolerance, possession of a phone could result in arrest. He works in a prison. That actually sounds reasonable. It minimizes the chances of an inmate gaining possession of a cell phone. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/23 "2019-02-22T16:50:01Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > If you worked at such a place, you’d just have to find someone else to be the emergency contact. Or maybe they could call you at the office number. I’m in the same situation. Yeah, um no. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/24 "2019-02-22T16:58:24Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My son’s employer has even stricter rules regarding cellphones. No cellphones ever, zero tolerance, possession of a phone could result in arrest. He works in a prison. Not manufacturing license plates, I hope. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/25 "2019-02-22T17:13:37Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > New project. Consultants still joining. Conversation with one yesterday: > > He: don’t get impatient, it took me four weeks to get my badge. > Me: oh, I’ve got mine. Could be worse, it once took me four weeks to get my computer, and bringing any books or computers in was banned. Once we got our company laptops we were required to take them home every day but not allowed to work from home. > He: ah, I see you’ve also worked in Pharma! You may have worked for my company. That is about the average time to get anything done. Glaciers move faster. Pharma is horrible about that kind of thing but I have a company issued iPhone that I can use however I see fit and I have been here for 11 years and everyone knows what rules I can break. I ignore most of them and I would quit if they actually got enforced. The dumbest rule is that I have to wear a florescent vest even in my private office at all times because someone at a sister site got run over by a forklift. I feel bad for the guy but come on! There is also a strict no tobacco rule. That sounds fine and doesn’t affect me but the smokers know exactly where the property line is outside the front door and hang out there. It is only about 30 steps away. On the opposite note, we don’t have a real dress code other than steel toed shoes and no shorts but I had a new assistant for three weeks that still managed to violate it by looking indistinguishable from a homeless person during a really bad week so I had to fire him for that among almost every other offense imaginable. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/26 "2019-02-22T18:13:23Z")
Pretty much all of them. No phone or ear buds on the work floor No food and only water No bags or personal things and a lot like that. And some specific to the work Go to your assigned task for the day Grab two and go Build strong pallets for shipping and more of the same. Even the managers who don’t like me at all admit that my one redeeming quality is I actually do as I was trained, not just what I want. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/27 "2019-02-22T18:21:27Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > That actually sounds reasonable. It minimizes the chances of an inmate gaining possession of a cell phone. Some places are the kind of work where draconian policies makes sense. Prisons, any work with classified materials, legitimate safety hazards, and so on. But in my experience working in places that actually do involve classified material, safety hazards, and the like, the rules will be followed if they’re implemented in a way that actually makes sense and is reasonable for the work involved. Treat people like competent adults and you’ll get appropriate behavior. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/28 "2019-02-22T18:22:04Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > If there isn’t, there ought to be. > > Why are you in favor of infirm relatives lying on the floor in their own piss for hours on end? This is getting a bit too heated for this thread. Dial it back a bit, please. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/29 "2019-02-22T18:48:10Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Why are you in favor of infirm relatives lying on the floor in their own piss for hours on end? Per my understanding of the English language, “I’m not aware of any law” does not indicate any measure of favor or disfavor. Let us know if you feel otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/30 "2019-02-22T18:52:48Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > We aren’t supposed to have fans. But I have one, as does just about every woman over a certain age. > > I think BS rules like this are instituted to make it easier to fire certain people. Like, they aren’t going to fire everyone who has a fan, just the unpopular people. > … I’ve worked where restrictions against personal electric devices reflected union contracts re: safety, or lease agreements w/ landlords. As I perceived it, the problem wasn’t with small personal fans. But if someone had a fan, someone else would have a mini fridge and a toaster oven… :rolleyes: Easier to draw a bright line than having to resolve countless disputes: “Bill has a fan, why can’t I plug in my holiday decorations?” Like I said, some of the union contracts required periodic inspections, where the employer would be written up if there were extension cords, heating elements, etc. And excessive personal appliances could be a potential fire hazard, wither through malfunctioning, or overloading an outlet/circuit. As I recall, the biggest no-nos were personal fridges, microwaves, and anything with a heating element. I remember one person wanted to bring in a treadmill desk, but was denied. I think the concern was potential injury - possibly damage to expensive personal property. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/31 "2019-02-22T18:54:39Z")
Not at my company, but a couple times in recent years I’ve seen “No cameras allowed” signs in buildings. Of course, even flip phones come with cameras, and have for some time now. Odd how nobody seems to mention that. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/32 "2019-02-22T19:00:44Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I work for the DoD. 'Nuff said. DOD research facility here. So we have rules out the wahzoo regarding material and access and encrypted shit and badge wearing which are Follow or Lose Your Job and Possibly Do Time. But as a consequence, the Powers That Be decided not to bother with dress code rules other than in hard hat areas. I can live with that, though I would like to see fines for heating fish in the microwave. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/33 "2019-02-22T19:03:51Z")
Nobody wears ID badges in my office, but we have them in our pockets because otherwise you can’t walk around the building. We’re not supposed to plug anything in except computers, but several of us (including managers) have space heaters. The most terrible thing we’re supposed to do is take a safety course that includes such gems as how to walk across a floor without falling down. It’s the most insulting document I’ve ever come across, and we’re supposed to take it every year. Nobody does it until we get a direct order from management, and half of us then arrange our schedules so that we get paid overtime to click buttons. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/34 "2019-02-22T19:12:03Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > If you worked at such a place, you’d just have to find someone else to be the emergency contact. Or maybe they could call you at the office number. Not to belabor this point, but what if there are no other contacts, as was so in my case? I’m not carrying the office phone everywhere with me, and once I got an emergency call in the bathroom. Jesus god. Feudalism is back, and corporations are our unquestionable lordships. Truly unbendable and heartless. I am astonished. Thank god I don’t work for you people. And no wonder workplace shootings are becoming so common. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/35 "2019-02-22T19:12:47Z")
I’ve been at a few companies that want to put tamper-evident stickers over my phone cameras. Only one actually checked the stickers when I left. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/36 "2019-02-22T19:24:11Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Not to belabor this point, but what if there are no other contacts, as was so in my case? I’m not carrying the office phone everywhere with me, and once I got an emergency call in the bathroom. > > Jesus god. Feudalism is back, and corporations are our unquestionable lordships. Truly unbendable and heartless. I am astonished. > > Thank god I don’t work for you people. And no wonder workplace shootings are becoming so common. Okay, this was out of line, I admit. I apologize. I was a caretaker of my feeble parents for thirty years, and the thought of some arbitrary work rule interfering with that capacity made me blind with rage. It will not happen again. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/37 "2019-02-22T19:33:37Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Just blowing off some steam and was wondering if anybody else’s workplaces have any pointless, unnecessary, obtrusive or even malicious rules in place that despite their severity absolutely nobody pays attention to? You know, those rules that the management has an important meeting about and how they’re implementing them immediately the next day everybody forgets that meeting took place? Rules that make you wonder if they’re still even being enforced despite the fact there’s signs all over the building proclaiming them? > > I work at an office-type environment and management decided to crack down on people using their cell phones in the most harsh way possible despite the fact it’s just a normal office. Angry at seeing people texting at their desks they made a rule that ALL cell phones are banned from the ENTIRE building. You can’t even keep them in your desk drawer or locker. You’re suppose to leave your phone in your vehicle and are only allowed to access it during your lunch time when you’re outside the building. In addition if you have to have a cell phone on you in case of an emergency you’re suppose to request (in official writing) the option of having the cell phone on your person but fill out multiple details including reasoning, the time frame you believe you will receive the call, and for how long the call takes place. > > Of course absolutely nobody follows it and I still see people just openly texting at their desks despite having THREE half-hour long meetings about it. Considering this is the same job where somebody requested to leave early to pick up their kid from school due to an injury and their request was denied, I highly doubt anybody has ever submitted a formal request to use a cell phone. The problem I see there is not the rules, but the enforcement that is the problem. Some discipline needs to be taken, or people will not take the policy seriously, no matter how many half hour meetings you pay them to attend. A company has the right to tell their employees that the time they are being paid is not time to socialize with people outside of work. > [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > When my mom was alive, she had an emergency button for a service that would call my cellphone if she pushed it. I carried the phone at all times, and yes, had a few calls I left work to attend to. Mostly for falls. Thank god, she was never badly hurt. > > I’m pretty sure the OP’s office rule banning cellphones would not stand up to a legal challenge in a case like mine. The OP said that they had a policy to deal with your situation. The other policy that many companies have would be that emergencies would be routed to your supervisor, and they could relay them to you. Remember that cell phones have only existed for a pretty brief time. It used to be expected that when you were at work, you were at work and not available for socializing, now it seems as though people feel they have the right to. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/38 "2019-02-22T19:37:55Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Not at my company, but a couple times in recent years I’ve seen “No cameras allowed” signs in buildings. > > Of course, even flip phones come with cameras, and have for some time now. Odd how nobody seems to mention that. I used to do catering. And sometimes I would cater in sensitive areas. Places with defense contracts and the like. I would specifically be asked to leave my phone at the desk, but when I showed how old my phone was without a camera, they would let me go. Some took it more seriously than others, but we did lose one catering contract because one of my co-workers didn’t think that the rules applied to him, and whipped his camera equipped phone out in front of a bigwig. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/39 "2019-02-22T20:26:28Z")
Does anyone here work somewhere that DOES NOT have a rule that essentially says that using company internet resources for anything other than official work is verboten and can get you fired? Everywhere I’ve worked has had some sort of policy like that on the books, and usually made us sign a copy of it. Despite that if you walk around, you see Youtube, fantasy football, message boards, news, weather, ESPN, etc… on pretty much everyone’s computer at one time or another. It was especially common pre-smartphones when that was the ONLY way to get access to things like personal emails, etc… ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2019, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007/40 "2019-02-22T20:44:32Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Does anyone here work somewhere that DOES NOT have a rule that essentially says that using company internet resources for anything other than official work is verboten and can get you fired? > > Everywhere I’ve worked has had some sort of policy like that on the books, and usually made us sign a copy of it. > > Despite that if you walk around, you see Youtube, fantasy football, message boards, news, weather, ESPN, etc… on pretty much everyone’s computer at one time or another. It was especially common pre-smartphones when that was the ONLY way to get access to things like personal emails, etc… I don’t, but then, this is the only computer here, and myself and my receptionist are the only ones who have access to it. I have no problem with her going on facebook as long as everything is caught up and no one is waiting. I understand the reason why, between potential for viruses or malware, and even concerns about causing sexual harassment by looking at porn or other evocative sites, and even just the idea that you are at work to work, not to play game or update your facebook status, such policies do make sense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-useless-rules-your-work-has-that-nobody-follows/830007.md?page=3)