Why One-Size-Fits-All HR Policies Don't Work
"We treat everyone differently. We don't have protocols, we don't have policies. If something
comes up, the employee creates the policy with us."
C'est ainsi qu'un de nos clients a récemment décrit sa façon de travailler. Pas de DRH barbant
Handbooks, no endless rules. Just trust, dialogue, and the belief that people are unique.
It's also how we once started our own company. The foundation was simple: treat people
differently, based on their situation and contribution. No fixed rules, no heavy policies - just
agreements made between us.
But here's the hard truth: over time, things change. People look at each other. They compare.
They get jealous or frustrated. "Why does she get to leave early? Why does he get more
flexibility than I do?" Slowly, exceptions become tensions. And to manage those tensions,
Companies introduce policies. Not because they want to, but because they feel they have to.
That's how many organisations drift from flexibility to uniformity: not by choice, but by
Pressure.
Why Uniform HR Rules Fail
Employees are not the same and their personal circumstances shape how they can perform at work.
Work
Parents may need flexible hours for school pick-ups.
A caregiver may need to leave early once a week.
Someone dealing with stress or burnout may require adjusted workloads.
High performers may achieve results in four days instead of five.
When HR policies ignore these realities, they don't create fairness. They create frustration.,
Disengagement, and staff turnover.
HR as the Hidden Catch Basin
HR departments often act as the catch basin for employee concerns. They hear the private
stories employees cannot tell their managers: struggles at home, scheduling conflicts, mental health issues
health challenges.
HR wants to help, but due to privacy constraints and resistance from leadership, they
ability to act is limited. This leads to awkward compromises that employees can feel are
"Almost right, but not truly supportive.
The result: HR becomes both the confidant and the bottleneck, holding stories they cannot
used to drive change.
The Missing Piece: Employee Input
Solving workplace challenges shouldn't be a one-way street. Too often, employees fall into a
"The "company must solve my problem" mindset. That rarely works.
A healthier approach is co-creation. Employees who bring solutions instead of only problems
build shared ownership. For example:
I struggle with childcare on Wednesdays. What if I start earlier and leave earlier that day?
day?"
"I deliver my best work remotely. Could we set KPIs so output matters more than being in the office?"
presence?"
Our roles overlap; what if I take A and my colleague takes B to avoid friction?"
When employees suggest solutions, HR and managers can adapt rules more easily, and trust
grows on both sides.
Top Performers vs. Weak Performers
Another layer of complexity: not all employees achieve the same results.
Top performers are often granted more freedom – remote work, flexible schedules,
Exceptions to policy.
Weaker performers usually see the rules applied more rigidly.
Leaders know this happens, but they often struggle to explain it. Policies promise equality, yet
in practice flexibility is tied to performance. Instead of being transparent, organisations hide
behind stringent rules to avoid accusations of favouritism.
Law versus Leadership
Yes, labour law requires equal treatment. But equal treatment does not mean identical
treatment. The law protects against discrimination and ensures fairness. It does not forbid
nuance.
The real barrier isn't legal! It's cultural. Many leaders lack the courage to openly say, "We
adapt rules to people's circumstances and contributions, and that may look different for each
person."
Beyond Work: Customer or Supplier?
In today's society, everyone is both a customer and a supplier. At work, we're quick to act
customers: "The company should sort this out for me." But every employee is also a
Supplier: of effort, ideas, performance, and value.
So the real question is: in this situation, am I showing up as a customer (focused on what I
get), or as a supplier (focused on what I contribute)?
When employees balance those roles - and act according to what is really needed in the
moment, collaboration improves, resentment decreases, and the need for rigid policies
reduces.
Six Recommendations for Employers
- Adopt the "different jackets" mindset
Fairness means tailoring, not uniformity. Employees respect differences when
explained with transparency and consistency. - Acknowledge the jealousy factor
If flexibility is offered, people will make comparisons. Don't ignore it – address it openly.
Exceptions exist to handle unexpected or erroneous situations that arise during program execution. They allow for a structured way to interrupt the normal flow of control and deal with problems without crashing the entire program. Transparent principles for flexibility can be designed by focusing on: * **Modularity:** Breaking down complex systems into smaller, independent units that can be developed, tested, and replaced with minimal impact on other parts of the system. * **Abstraction:** Hiding complex implementation details behind simpler interfaces, allowing users to interact with components without needing to understand their inner workings. This makes it easier to swap out implementations or modify them later. * **Loose Coupling:** Reducing the dependencies between different components of a system. This means that changes in one component are less likely to necessitate changes in others, increasing the overall adaptability. * **Configuration:** Allowing systems to be tailored to different environments or requirements through external configuration files or settings, rather than hardcoding these details. * **Extensibility:** Designing systems in a way that allows new features or functionalities to be added easily without altering existing code. This can be achieved through mechanisms like plugins, interfaces, or inheritance. * **Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) / Microservices:** Designing systems as a collection of independent, loosely coupled services that communicate with each other. This allows services to be developed, deployed, and scaled independently. * **Event-Driven Architecture:** Systems react to events, making them inherently responsive and adaptable to changing circumstances. * **Pluggable Architecture:** Designing components where specific functionalities can be easily swapped out for alternative implementations, often through interfaces or strategy patterns. * **Delegation and Composition:** Building complex objects from simpler ones, allowing for flexible combinations of behaviour. * **Open/Closed Principle (SOLID):** Software entities (classes, modules, functions) should be open for extension, but closed for modification. This means you should add new functionality without changing existing code. - Move from rule-driven to people-driven HR
Policies should serve employees and the business, not just administration. If a rule
It's no use, adapt it. - Empower HR to act
HR should not be a powerless vault of confidential stories. Give them the mandate to
Co-create solutions with employees and leadership. - How would you solve this?"
Expect employees to bring constructive solutions, not just problems. This creates
Shared responsibility for flexibility. - Encourage the customer-supplier mindset
Help employees reflect, "Am I acting as a customer, or as a supplier right now?"
Best workplaces thrive when both roles are in balance.
Conclusion: Beyond One-Size-Fits-All
The best organisations don't hide behind rigid policies. They start from trust, adapt when
necessary, and co-create solutions with their people.
But they also know the reality: as soon as people compare themselves to others, jealousy and
frustration can push organisations towards uniform rules. The real challenge is holding on to
flexibility while addressing fairness transparently, and encouraging people to take
ownership, not just as customers, but also as suppliers.
Because one-size-fits-all may sound efficient, but it's the companies with a wardrobe of
options - and the courage to explain why not everyone wears the same jacket - that truly
Win loyalty and performance.