Elevated HR Solutions: Articles like this give HR a bad name

Last week I received of an email from the Daily HR Advisor.  It's an American publication and as such, a lot of the information is almost foreign to me, despite the fact that we share a border (this is even AFTER I ran a few HR departments IN the US...).  But this title in particular made me angry - to the point where I couldn't even READ the article at first.

This was the title: Challenge: Prevent off-the-clock work and time thievery.  What do you think this is about?

Okay, so admittedly I did eventually read the article, and basically it's a lawyer who is giving the advice that if you allow employees to work after hours they can come back and sue you.  They go so far as to say stop giving them blackberries and make sure the overtime policy is clearly laid out.  In addition, it also said to police your employees so you can make sure employees stop stealing time from you, the Employer. 

This type of stuff frustrates the heck out of me. I hate policies for the sake of policies. Some of my clients prefer to run their organization with strict guidelines.  Unfortunately, these same companies have the lowest employee engagement levels.  In contrast, employers like Google have policies that state, "Don't be evil."  I like policies that are employer and employee conscientious - policies that meet and serve purposes for both sides.  It allows and encourages employees and managers alike to be accountable. 

In a case like "time thievery"  I am a big fan of talking to employees about their performance rather than strict  guidelines -- I recently read a quote that said, feedback about a blind spot was the best gift you could give anyone. 

Okay so regarding the issue relating to employees who sue for having to work overtime - it pains me to say it, but implementing a policy probably is the right decision for an employer to do.  It definitely will mitigate your risks. 

To the employees who claim they are working over time for answering emails outside of work hours - have fun staying stagnant.  Working hard is part of recognition and rewards. You just prevented yourself from a great career and opened the door to a boring 9-5 job.  Well done.