Systems... Can't live with them!!! Can't live without them!!!

Was catching up with a friend over coffee a few weeks back...

He had gone through a personal issue with his manager and he was upset about it.

There was a family emergency and he had to plan some urgent travel. The company does not allow internet access to its employees due to to ensure data safety, so it was not possible to book the flight tickets. He works in 8 am to 5 pm time slot, has lunch break between 12.30 and 1.30 in the afternoon and no other flexitimings. Saturdays and Sundays are off. (for most of us, it is a dream to get this kind of work hours.)

During the lunch hour, he went to get the tickets but ended up coming back at 1.45. 15 minutes late meant that half day was knocked off his account as unplanned leave.

Since I was with him that day, I was at the receiving end of the cribbing.

Can't they have a little flexibility?

Will it kill them to give me a 15 minute permission?

Hitler is dead and we got freedom 60 years ago, still it feels like we are nothing more than highly paid glorified slaves...

Anything I could say could not have helped to stop his complaining spree, but at the same time, I also think that I would completely agree with my friend's company's policy.

I was involved in decision making once and I would happily welcome anyone to take that seat and make a policy that could have everyone satisfied.

You will all agree with what is coming next if you look at it as an employer and policy maker:

1. If you were to allow internet access to employees, 80% of them would be spending time on Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, or making travel plans for the upcoming long weekend.
2. If you were to allow flexitimes / permissions to employees, 80% of the them will utilise the permissions for the lousiest reasons ranging from paying electricity bills, phone bills, getting the vehicles serviced etc, everything during office hours, most of these jobs can be done by just going online in evenings or on a saturday.
3. If you were to allow flexi lunch timings, 80% of the employees would use one and half hours for lunch.

To avoid all these issues, wouldn't you make the kind of rules which will make sure employees don't misuse any of them? Wouldn't you be turning into Hitler then? Employees may not be happy with the systems...

But if you create the systems to be flexible, then employees misuse the system in unfair way... You will not be happy in that case.

What I understand is that before complaining about my organisation's System, I should place myself in the system maker's place and ask if I made it more flexible, will 80% people use it or misuse it?

Every system is created for a reason. So there's no point in being a part of a system and complaining about it:

If I don't like something about the system. I have only 3 options:

1. If I have no choice but to be a part of the system, then I should not complain about it.
2. If I can't be a part of it, I should get myself a spine and get out of it.
3. Or Be a part of the system, follow the system and grow enough into the system to reach a stage where I can change it into what I feel is right.

Make a choice dear... there's no point in sitting around and just complaining.