Progressive Work Models

This post is about employment policies and human resource management.  I see more and more employers attempting to inhibit their employees. Typically this is in the form of employee encapsulation or strict non-disclosure statements.

Employees are expected to work on only company related items and their work becomes the property of said company. A former employer of mine went as far as preventing their employees from showcasing their artwork on their personal portfolios. I don't see a problem with showcasing your work as long as the company is credited with ownership and the work is not sensitive in nature. Getting permission from your employer is a standard courtesy.

Over controlling your employees is bad for morale. There is no way to prevent them from checking their Facebook accounts on the clock, short of disabling the site itself at your office. Happy workers are productive ones. One of the most successful companies in history knows this. Take a look at Google's 70/20/10 rule.

Here's a quick rundown:

• 70% of work is toward the core efforts of the company
• 20% of work goes to adjacent areas and expansion of company
• 10% - Anything goes (Yes this means Facebooking)

I don't know about you but I want to work in a place that encourages workers to expand their knowledge and to have some personal freedoms.

Side-work and Online Presence:

We live in a country full of entrepreneurs. The US was founded on the principles of freedom and industrialism. What happened to us?

I Googled "Employee Side Work" and was surprised to see that many companies prevent employees from owning their own businesses on the side. I saw a few stories about terminations, where workers were found "Moonlighting" for themselves and then fired. I am not condoning side work during business hours, unless it is part of your 10% and your company has adopted the 70/20/10 rule.

Ultimately, happy employees are productive ones. If you trust your people, let them breathe a bit. If you hire someone who has established an online presence, why not use that to your advantage instead of the opposite. I would.