Follow the Rules

I was talking with our staff of recruiters and we were discussing how important it is for our employees to just follow the simple rules that are given to them on the first day of employment. We have so many stories that we could share with you where “good” employees were terminated simply for not following some simple guidelines given to them on the first day. So, I thought that I would offer some helpful advice to any employee who is starting a new job. Find out what is expected of you: When you start a new job, it is pretty normal to be a bit overwhelmed with all of the new information and tasks of your new position. I think many people that start a job don’t necessarily mean to break basic rules, but rather just forget because it was addressed on the first day (which was overwhelming). On the other hand, there are many employees who hear about the rule and understand that the rule exists. But rather than continue to follow it, they start to feel comfortable in their environment over time and decide to test the water and see if they can get away with it. If you are an employer, these are the employees that you need to be weary of and possibly need to show them the door. But if you are an employee, it is just not good moral judgment to break company policies and rules when you know that they exist. It is not good judgment and it really does a disservice to the company and managers that you work for. Determine what is most important to your employer: Each company has policies, procedures and guidelines that they want you to follow. And every manager has a certain group of those guidelines that is most important to them or their department. It is very important to pay attention to what is most important to your manager. Each manager has certain things whether they are rules or just the way that they like for their department to flow. It is very important to be self-aware of how well you are following these guidelines and expectations. It is always sad for us as a staffing company in Tulsa to terminate someone solely because of a simple rule or expectation that they were told about and just refused to follow. Especially when it was such an easy and reasonable request. Know the guidelines and expectations: The best employees take guidelines and expectations seriously. The best employees are frequently highly regarded because they are just not difficult to manage. Those that are promoted and prosper are most always those that know the guidelines, take them seriously and follow them while encouraging their peers to do the same. They usually lead by actions. Since this article is meant to help employees succeed, I want to encourage you that if you are not doing the basic functions of the job, you most likely will see mediocrity in your career. I challenge you to be different and make all attempts to be exceptional in all that you do. That does not include breaking company rules, guidelines and expectations. Good Luck!