Why Do Senior Employees Get More Leeway with Rules? Let's Discuss This Workplace Dilemma

sharmaneesu
Hi all, I was just thinking and thought to share with you.

Observations on Rules and Hierarchies

We make many rules in families and companies for their members. I wonder why these rules are not followed by senior or elder people or employees in senior positions. How do they arrive late at the office and get their tardiness approved? How do they take leaves even if a new director or manager does the same just after one or two days of joining, without any issue? But what if a junior does the same?

We expect our kids not to engage in certain behaviors as they are bad habits, yet we struggle to control ourselves from doing the same. We scold kids for their mistakes, but for elders, we often assume, "Oh, they are grown up, can't change (universal truth)" or "They are well aware of what is right and wrong."

We sometimes overlook the impact on work due to close relationships between junior employees, but what if seniors engage in the same behavior? We surely take more time to think and react.

We believe in no distinction between juniors and seniors, so why do seniors have so much leverage in everything? Why can't we establish different rules for them?

These are my simple observations. I hope you have noticed similar dynamics in your family or workplace. Please discuss.
HR_Vision
Yes, you are right; there is always some injustice in the situations you have mentioned. However, it may be a bit unfair to say that seniors/elders take undue advantage all the time. One must bear in mind that seniors/elders have a much bigger responsibility and tremendous time demands due to their position and role. It is also to be noted that in their early days, they too would have felt the perceived injustice, and as they grow in their job/seniority, they have earned certain privileges. It is another matter that some of them would be misusing their privileges, but that is true of any given population sample.

Regards,
Raj
Sivakumare
There is empowerment given for different roles. You should not think that senior employees are coming late to the office. Need to think from both sides of the coin, their responsibilities, and tasks handling.

Regards,
Siva
sharmaneesu
Yes, Raj and Shiva agree with both of you. As seniors have more responsibilities, they are provided certain privileges. However, my concern was not to question those privileges. I want to ask why privileges are given. We should add them as the rules only provided the type of tasks and responsibilities they handle.

Think about salespeople. They have different timings. At times, they don't even need to report to the office once a day if they are working out of the office; this is just because of the job requirements. Also, there is a set of people whose job requires them to be on time, but as they have become habitual, they don't reach on time or don't follow other rules even if required.

What can be done as it is hard to state that specific reason even by their managers....
sharmaneesu
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I was wondering whether people would share their thoughts on this. Here, we share the problems and expect answers from experienced people. I do hope that we can learn more from seniors by expressing our views and listening to them on the same. Thinking that, I posted here. Thanks again. Please do reply if you can contribute more on the same.
M.Sayeed
Dear Sharmaneesu,

A well-raised question is very nice. I will give my thoughts in a simple way. I wonder how these rules are not followed by senior/elder people or employees who sit in a senior position. How do they arrive late in the office? How do they get their late comings approved? How do they go on leaves even if a new director or manager goes on leave just after one or two days of joining, with no issue, but what if a junior does the same?

My Thoughts – Yes, in many companies, these things happen; it can be said that the position is misused. But, my dear, does anyone consider the benefit of the same?

1. Bosses/Managers go out and fully trust their juniors, leaving all important work to them.
2. Due to the workload, juniors gain experience, knowledge, and the ability to deal with pressure (This increases confidence in juniors).
3. By doing all this work, juniors gain attention from management, clients, and customers, which increases their position and reputation.

So, just think of gaining experience and knowledge, please limit the complaints about seniors, bosses, etc.

Thank you.
Gaurav Sareen
When I was a fresher, I thought all the rules only existed for me and no one else. When I became an executive, I thought all the rules only existed for me and no one else. When I started my own business in a foreign land, I thought all the rules only existed for me and no one else. When I again went back to work as a junior police officer, I thought all the rules only existed for me and no one else. When I became a middle management equivalent, I thought all the rules only existed for me and no one else. When I became a Police Commander, I thought all the rules only existed for me and no one else.

Now, when I've returned to India after 17 years and started my own business, I think all the rules only exist for me and no one else.

Question for Discussion

So, my question to you is this: From a fresher to a Police Commander over 20 years, I've continuously felt that the rules only existed for me and no one else. Why? Was it the rules? Was it those who made the rules? Or, is it me?

I look forward to hearing from you guys. Have Fun!
sumoncpi
I'm in support of Sivakumar's post. There is empowerment provided for different roles. It should not be assumed that senior employees are coming late to the office. It is important to consider both sides of the coin - their responsibilities and how they handle tasks.

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