Stupidest rules your job has

[ArenaBoy]

This is a simple thread, post the stupid rules your employer makes up. They can be stupid, a WTF moment, or just plain weird.

One of the rules was that you could not wear shorts at a basketball game no matter how hot it got. It could be 90 degrees out and we still had to wear pants.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Did you mean "shorts", ihatethenba68?

Anyhoo, this isn't so much a stupid rule as it is a stupid waste of money to try and enforce a rule. This happened about 2 years ago. Corporate decided that there was a major epidemic of workers eating jelly beans out of the Jelly Belly bins and candy out of defective packages. So they made posters with "Is your job worth a jelly bean?" in big bold letters at the top.

Now, everybody is told during their training that grazing out of the bulk candy bins or out of open packages is grounds for termination, and most people are smart enough to remember that. In fact, I can't recall anybody at my store getting busted for that,

This happened when our company was going through kind of a tough time financially, and it must have cost some good coin to have those posters professionally made and distributed to all the stores. But obviously corporate must have thought that would be a good way to save money (as opposed to cutting bonuses, for example)

[toolbert]

Our store had a change in Management at the higher level. These guys added some good things, but the one thing that had me mad for a while was their stance on replacement units. See, it used to be when I needed a new demo I could ring it up at Zero cost and that would be the replacement and I would tell my DM what I did. Only I could do it so it was a good thing. Then, when the other dudes took over, I couldn't do it anymore. I had to requisition the product if I needed a replacement. Something as simple as stylus ($15 for three) or a pda, I had to put in a request to get new pack sent to me that would take over 3 weeks to get here. Meanwhile I would be without a demo in the store for all that time instead of just using one of mine here as a demo and replacing it with what they sent. Luckily now, they do just that.

[Horsetuna]

'No cup holders at tables'.

Apparently plastic cup holders to prevent drunk gamblers from spilling their beer all over chips and the tables are 'tacky'. Even though casinos in Las Vegas do it.

Oh yeah, another one:

"no rubber thimbles for employees'. Why? Because they're 'tacky'. My fingers for some reason are smooth as silk. I CANNOT grip the cards and pull them out of the shoes efficiently without pushing very hard and then my fingers ache. A tiny red rubber thimble makes my job a lot easier. I wonder if my benefits will cover strain injuries from pushing too hard on the cards.

And no, the no-thimbles rules is NOT because they are worried of the red rubbing off and marking the cards, but again, because its' 'tacky'.

Other rules that customers claim are stupid but make sense:

No cell phones/electronics at table (Including during shuffle, if you're not playing, or if you're messaging.) (Reason: security/privacy (photo phones), politeness and taking up space that a PAYING patron may want to sit)

No food at tables (Unsanitary if you are touching your icky chips and then eating food, not to mention getting grease all over the chips which then I handle, then transfer the germs and grease to the cards. Ewww).

For ANY mistakes or any transfer amounts over 50 dollars (even if its fifty dollars and fifty cents), I MUST call over the pit boss and WAIT. (This is security purposes and in the case of mistakes, that I'm not cheating. I can get FIRED for correcting my own mistake without a pit boss)

No smoking in the casino - Its icky, and its the LAW.

Yes, the tables close at 2 am. we open at noon. If fourteen hours isnt enough for you, you may have a gambling problem. The casino doesnt control this time, its again, THE LAW.


That's it. All of those make sense in the long run, and we cannot waver on ANY of them without big big big trouble (One girl at another casino fixed her own mistake, got fired AND they are considerings laying theft charges against her. The amount in question was over a certain hundred amount that makes the charges a FELONY. She could never deal again. She also lost her gaming lisence.)

[Lace Neil Singer]

If you wear a skirt, you have to wear tights with it. I consider that a stupid rule, however I get around it by wearing trousers... the trousers are too short in the leg, but it's a damn sight better than wearing ugly American tan tights with an on the knee skirt. Who wears American tan tights anyway? Americans?

[Spiffy McMoron]

Who wears American tan tights anyway? Americans?

As far as I know, it's just girls who work in Hooters that wear those.

At my old store, they would not allow beverages on the floor. Normally, this is no big deal, but they also included bottles of water in this ban. So, on a hot day, the department I was in (sports and seasonal) was usually the busiest and hottest-it had the most people in it, and received no air conditioning or even any air movement at all. Since we also couldn't wear shorts-EVER, no exceptions-all of the sports staff would be dying for a drink of water. We'd try to sneak off, but if we got caught, we'd be in trouble.

[Kiwi]

Who wears American tan tights anyway? Americans?

dancers do, ballet (although those are usually pink) jazz, tap, ballroom, they really um "hold everything still" no wobbles at all.
but your right they are hot and sticky.

at the art stand I could sit, but not read.... I understand the policy it was just frustrating.... so many hours sitting spaced out

[Gurndigarn]

Must greet all customers with X seconds of them walking in.

Despite the fact that most mall arcades have only one on-duty employee. Who sometimes needs to crawl inside the games to do repairs or cleaning, or be in the office finishing the paperwork you value so much.

[Ringtail Z28]

I can't think of any in my current job.
At Target there were a few, none of which I followed.

1. Reflective vests must be worn during the day. (Yeah right, sunlight reflecting into my eyes makes me real safe doesn't it?)

2. Earpieces must be used with walkie talkies even if you have to share with other employees. (Swapping dirty sweaty earpieces with people, that's not gross is it?)

3. Hats are only allowed for Food Ave. employees, triple digit temperatures is no excuse for cart attendants to lack professionalism. (This was total bull.)

4. Male employees are not allowed to have hair an unatural color or longer than two inches. (Ha!)

[ArenaBoy]

I forgot to add, they had a strict rule about long hair. I work in a parking lot, a VIP is not going to care about my hair length. If he complains then it is obvious that he needs to find a hobby. I had long hair and I did not get in trouble during the time period that my hair was beneth my collar.

[ilxlumixnati]

At my place of employment, female cashiers must wear the supplied uniform pants.

Why is this stupid? Everyone else can wear whatever pants they want, so long as they are black or navy blue. Only female cashiers have rules about it.

[Ryu]

we cant use the cups we GIVE AWAY to anyone!

[Crosshair]

4. Male employees are not allowed to have hair an unatural color or longer than two inches. (Ha!)

My hair is past my shoulder. I look like a hippie. Good thing I'm one of the best employees on the evening/weekend shift.

[AFpheonix]

'No cup holders at tables'.

"no rubber thimbles for employees'. Why? Because they're 'tacky'. My fingers for some reason are smooth as silk. I CANNOT grip the cards and pull them out of the shoes efficiently without pushing very hard and then my fingers ache. A tiny red rubber thimble makes my job a lot easier. I wonder if my benefits will cover strain injuries from pushing too hard on the cards.

I rub my finger over a chapstick to make it easier to open plastic bags. Is there something like that that you could use that would give you a little grip that would be ok to have on the floor?

[Special Patrol Group]

At my old supermarket they were constantly introducing crazy new rules which would only be enforced for around 2 weeks before management realized who stupid they were. One time they introduced a rule that the tills could only be opened 4 times a day on a "no sale". You had to do at do at least 2 "no sales" a day to cash up your till in the morning and de-cash it at the end of the day. Other times during the day you would have to do "no sales" to empty excess cash out, order change, put the delivered change in and to "break" notes for customers. It was impossible to do this in 4 "no sales" a day but management insisted that anyone caught doing more than 4 a day would be fired. They thought by restricting the amount of times we opened the till we would reduce the risk of customers noticing how much cash we had in the till and deciding to rob us (note that we had never ever had a cash robbery). So, instead of doing no sales we were instructed to leave our tills open after serving a customer and break notes, float the till, order change etc then. This obviously insane rule meant that the till was open while we handed customers change and resulting in people grabbing cash out of the draw while our backs were turned. Good work management on your first cash robbery.