The Problem With Making Things Mandatory – hr bartender
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
I recently heard a conversation about requiring employees to be “on camera” during an upcoming video call. The leader’s reasoning was that the content was important, and they wanted everyone to participate, so being on camera was going to be mandatory. What was interesting to me is when it came time for the meeting, no one was on camera. No one. Including the leader who said that they were going to make it mandatory to be on camera!
I’ve experienced the same thing when it comes to in-person training events. Someone is complaining about having to be there. So, the reply is to make it mandatory.
I know it’s tempting to make things mandatory. As a human resources professional, I’ve participated in my fair share of “Should we make this training/conference/event, etc. mandatory?” conversations. And what I’ve realized over the years, is that making something mandatory doesn’t hold people accountable.
In both our professional and personal lives, we have to establish priorities. We need to make decisions about the best way to spend our time. This is an important skill.
- Employees often have multiple meetings to attend and need to choose the right one. Honestly, the employee shouldn’t have to ask their boss. They should know the most important one that demands their time. The only time this doesn’t apply is if it’s possible to use a “divide and conquer” strategy for attending a meeting or event. Then the employee would strategically coordinate schedules with their colleagues and debrief afterward.
- Managers should know when it’s acceptable to pitch going to that conference in Las Vegas that they really want to attend versus staying in the office to complete the project that needs to get done. The boss shouldn’t have to be a bad person and tell them “no”.
- Consultants and freelancers need to know the right events to attend so they meet decision makers and network with a good group of professionals. They can’t attend everything so they must go to the right things. Years ago, I had a boss who always seemed to know the right events to attend. I remember that when I’m making decisions today. “Would they go? If so, why?”
While making events mandatory comes with some grousing and grumbling, it also prevents people from learning how to make the critical decision of where to be and when. If people aren’t attending what should seem like an obvious “go-to” event, the organization need to find out why. If employees don’t know how to evaluate priorities when it comes to things like meetings and turning their camera on, then is the organization confident that they will make the right call when it comes to the operation?
In my experience, I’ve found that mandatory things don’t get the same level of explanation as optional ones. For example, all employees need to attend XYZ training session. So, the program description is dull. The materials are boring. And so forth… When nothing is labeled mandatory, the organization must explain in detail why it’s important and get employees to understand it’s importance (without calling it mandatory). And that can take extra work.
This includes free stuff. Just because something is free, doesn’t mean it’s a “must-do”. I’ve been to plenty of free snoozefests and I’m sure you have too. Free must have value because people’s time is valuable, and they are making their participation a priority.
If you must use the word “mandatory”, maybe save it for decisions related to laws and safety. For the rest, focus on creating interest and providing value. Then coach employees to manage their commitments and make good decisions.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of San Diego, CA
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