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Strange Company rules and manipulations
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EEEnthusiast:
Just opening a new thread to discuss strange company rules and various techniques used by companies to manipulate employees (engineers who are actually working).

Strange rule on sexual harassment
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In one company I worked, there was a set of rules on sexual harassment as was needed by law. It had many clauses like, employees should not indulge in pornography and sexual acts while at office and so on.... One strange clause was "Indecent exposure of body parts". I could never understand what is the difference between a "decent exposure" and "indecent exposure". So I asked the HR lady to explain what length of a skirt worn by some lady would contribute to "indecent exposure". Or how many inches below the waist line can a guy wear his jeans? Does the company have a minimum length criteria? For unknown reasons, the email was never replied and I'm still in the dark about this rule.

Have you come across any such rules or any other manipulation methods?
StillTrying:
I used to work in a company that decided it was a good idea to think up some new daft rules almost every week, and everyone had to sign a list to show that you'd read them. I thought it was a ridiculous idea so every time including the first I signed it Mr. D. Duck, and amazingly no one ever asked who Mr. D. Duck was.
tggzzz:

--- Quote from: StillTrying on September 19, 2019, 12:57:08 pm ---I used to work in a company that decided it was a good idea to think up some new daft rules almost every week, and everyone had to sign a list to show that you'd read them. I thought it was a ridiculous idea so every time including the first I signed it Mr. D. Duck, and amazingly no one ever asked who Mr. D. Duck was.

--- End quote ---

In the UK, that would still count as a signature. Roughly speaking, here you can call yourself anything you like provided you are not committing fraud. Besides, what someone else might read as D Duck could just be your cruddy writing :)

Having said that, in unpleasant companies HR-droids love having minor infractions available on your record. They make "good justifications" for firing you later. (No, I haven't been a victim of that!)
DenzilPenberthy:
When my mum entered the workforce back in the '60s it was completely normal for men to have porn mags on their desks and grope secretaries. It was normal for an experienced member of staff to take you to one side on your fist day and warn you about who not to be alone in a room with. Fortunately most places have come a long way since then.

Was your intention with your hilarious email to HR to convey the message 'I don't think there should be rules against sexually harassing my colleagues', or ' I genuinely don't know how to behave appropriately in a professional environment, please help me'?  I don't think either of those reflects well on you an an employee to be honest.

Almost all stupid rules are there because people are surprisingly stupid. They are removing 'but there's nothing in the employee handbook about not getting my nob out in the office for a laugh' as a defence because there are definitely people around who are that dumb.

PwrElectronics:
The heath & safety dept would regularly inventory the contents of the first aid supplies in the lab.  If the count of band-aids changed and there was not a corresponding "incident report" filled out, the lab supervisor would get grief that was passed down to all the engineers and techs who may have been working in the lab during that time period.

If you DID fill in a incident report, that would set off some annoying drama and a meeting with H&S and your supervisor.  The stats then end up on the quarterly OSHA reports, etc.  All employee memos on how to be more safe at work to follow.

Makes sense if you were really hurt BUT totally stupid for a nicked or jabbed finger from a probe or X-acto blade, etc.

Most everyone started to keep their own stock of band-aids in their tool bag.  OR, like me who was out once, washed off the blood, put some paper towel over it and wrapped in electrical tape and went back to work.
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