Appropriateness of Work Rules

While every employee's conduct should be governed by some work basic rules, the specific work rules you choose should be appropriate and reasonable for the work your employees do and the working conditions to which they are subject.

If your business requires employees to do heavy physical labor in the heat of the day, or if your employees do not have any contact with the public or with customers, a restrictive dress code policy might not be appropriate. Similarly, if your business's success does not rely on trade secrets and sensitive information, it may not be necessary for you to have a noncompete or nondisclosure policy.

How to determine what's right for your business. When you're considering the creation of a specific rule or policy, determine if it's right for your business by asking yourself the following questions:

• Will this policy disproportionately impact one employee (or group of employees) over another, even if it is applied evenly to all employees?
• Is this policy really necessary considering the work that my employees do?
• Is this policy unduly restrictive in light of working conditions?
• Is there a sound business justification for this policy?
• In what situations would this policy be used?
• Have there been situations in the past where this policy would have been applicable and useful?
• Am I willing to enforce this policy?
• What documentation will be necessary to administer and enforce this policy?
• Will the time and effort necessary to administer and enforce this policy outweigh the benefit of having it?
• What would the consequences be for someone who broke this rule or disobeyed this policy?
• Do other businesses or colleagues have similar policies? What do they think of them? Are they useful or burdensome?