That’s not a question on your employment application.  That’s probably not a question on any document in your workplace, unless you require your employees to answer a secret question for security purposes–to be able, for example, to access something that’s confidential.  We would have learned this from banks.

An article in Slate Magazine illustrates how these secret questions have expanded way beyond “What’s your mother’s maiden name?”  According to the article, these questions are also way more stupid.  It’s a pretty funny article, and it made me think of something that has, in my sometimes strange way of thinking, implications for human resources and the workplace.

We do ask employees for a lot of information.  We have all kinds of employment forms.  We send out all kinds of policies.  How do we come up with all this stuff?  Like the banks, we do what we learn other employers are doing, or we all have consultants who remarkably have the same ideas and give identical advice.

Sometimes, that’s helpful, even necessary.  No need to reinvent the wheel and all that.  But it might be a good thing to think about doing something different–or at least not doing what every other employer does.  Talent acquisition doesn’t have to–and probably shouldn’t–work the same way for all companies.  Ditto for benefit plans, executive compensation, progressive discipline, performance evaluations, succession planning–you name it.  Just because something catches on doesn’t mean it’s right for your organization. 

The recently discussed handbook of the Tribune Co. probably received as much attention as it did, because it’s different–crazy to some.  I’m not advocating doing something nuts just to do it, but I’m convinced all our employees could use a breath of fresh air at times.

Let’s think about this.  The next time you’re about to create or revise a policy, let some employees who will be impacted by the policy tell you what they think.  It’s almost certain that you’ll get some different, perhaps better, ideas about the policy, and it’s highly likely that it will be more understandable than it would have been.

And this.  The next time you’re about to revise a job description, let the employees who do the job tell you what the job description should say.  They know better than anyone else how the job works, what it requires, perhaps what changes should be made to make the job more effective.  The job description will be more accurate.

So, you’ll have better documents.  Your employees will feel appreciated–more part of the team.  A breath of fresh air might circulate through your workforce. 

Now, what was the name of your next door neighbor when you were four years old?