Employers write policies to make their workplaces run smoothly. When employees know the rules, expectations, practices, and procedures, they should be well-equipped to work productively and harmoniously. 
But as important as policies are, they can be problematic too. A survey released in August from Business and Legal Resources (BLR) shows what issues employers tackle with their policy manuals and which issues are thought to present the most trouble. The survey garnered responses from 1,414 individuals from employers across the nation and showed the two policies most identified as being potentially problematic in the coming year deal with technology and social media.
- 36.8 percent of respondents named “bring your own device” (BYOD) policies as potentially problematic.
- 36.4 percent named social media policies as possible trouble zones.
Rounding out the top five policy areas thought most likely to be problematic were: policies dealing with various kinds of leave (leaves of absence, Family and Medical Leave Act leave, and paid time off/vacation time), named by 17.4 percent of respondents; telecommuting, named by 17.2 percent; and cellphone/distracted driving, named by 14.2 percent.
The five policies least identified as problem areas were those dealing with military and reserve employees (named as potentially problematic by 1.6 percent of survey respondents); bulletin boards (1.7 percent); employment at will (2.9 percent); equal employment opportunity (3.4 percent); and travel (4.1 percent).
Tech policy challenges
Policies regulating employee use of smart devices and social media present challenges as employers try to balance the advantages of the enhanced communication that technology provides with the complications that come from a workforce capable of being plugged in to work 24/7. Another survey, this one from CareerBuilder released in July, showed that many workers think the proliferation of smart devices has fundamentally changed work schedules.
The survey polled workers in information technology, financial services, sales, and professional and business services, and 63 percent said they believe the traditional 9 to 5 workday is an outdated concept. Fifty percent said they check or respond to work emails outside of work, 24 percent said they check work emails during activities with family and friends, and 38 percent said they continue to work outside of office hours.
Those workers aren’t necessarily complaining, though. The CareerBuilder survey found that 62 percent of the workers who reported staying connected to work outside of office hours think of the practice as a choice instead of an obligation. It also found that more men than women check or respond to work emails outside of work (59 percent versus 42 percent), check on work activities while they are out with friends and family (30 percent versus 18 percent), and are likely to work outside of office hours (44 percent versus 32 percent).
Looking at the tendency by age, the CareerBuilder survey found that 31 percent of 18- to 24-year-old workers in the industries surveyed reported that they will work outside of office hours, while 50 percent of 45- to 54-year-old workers and 38 percent of workers 55 and older reported the same willingness.
Few adopting policies on generational issues
Differences in attitudes of workers of different ages were addressed in the BLR survey. The survey participants were asked if their organizations modified or added policies directly related to millennial employees, with 85.7 percent answering no. Survey respondents also were asked if their organizations had modified or added policies directly related to a multi-generational workforce. Again, the large majority of respondents—82 percent—answered no.
Employers in the BLR survey also were asked whether they have implemented policies related to wearable technology such as smart glasses and watches or wearable cameras. By far, most employers in the survey (90.6 percent) reported that they haven’t delved into that area.
Employers that have implemented BYOD policies were asked what kinds of devices they cover in their policies. The most common device cited was the cellphone, named by 76.4 percent of employers with device policies. Next came tablets (42.8 percent), laptops (41.6 percent), flash drives (30.2 percent), personal music devices (23.6 percent), digital cameras or movie recorders (21.2 percent), and book readers (11.9 percent). “Other” was cited by 18 percent of the respondents.