'Please boss, can I go to the toilet?' Sheffield named one of UK's worst cities for silly workplace rules

Sheffield has been named as one of the worst places in the country when it comes to silly workplace rules.
Some workers in Sheffield have to ask to go to the toilet.Some workers in Sheffield have to ask to go to the toilet.
Some workers in Sheffield have to ask to go to the toilet.

New research has found that nearly half (46.2%) of workplaces in Sheffield have ridiculous orders in place – one of the highest of all cities in the UK.

CV-Library, which carried out the research, said that 41.7% stated that the rules make them feel restricted and also found that 83.3% of workers in Sheffield would disobey any rules they deem as ‘silly’.

These included:

1. Toilet troubles

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Many respondents reported that they either had a strict time frame in which to go to the toilet (3 minutes), had to ask to use the toilet facilities, and were even searched before going to the toilet.

2. Dress code dilemmas

Some respondents reported that they had to wear particular coloured clothes to match the business, women weren’t allowed to wear trousers, and one individual even said that they were sent home for not dressing down

3. Silent treatment

Some employees stated that they weren’t allowed to talk out loud apart from when in the staff room, while others said that they weren’t allowed to say hello to a customer, only ‘good morning’, or ‘good afternoon’

4. Time keeping

If you’re two minutes late in one business you’ll have your pay docked by 15 minutes, and in another you aren’t allowed to travel further than 20 metres away from the building at lunch in case you’re late back!

5. Beverage blunders

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Some workplaces won’t allow their staff to drink water and another will not let workers carry drinks up and down the stairs. What’s more, one company won’t let employees have drinks on their desk in case they get spilt

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library comments: “Every workplace needs rules: otherwise you’d simply never get things done!

"That said it’s clear that many of the rules highlighted in our research are just ridiculous. Employees want to feel trusted and while one workplace can differ massively to another, you have to treat your staff like adults – especially when it comes to being allowed to drink water and going to the toilet!”

Glasgow topped the list, ahead of Cardiff, with London the place least likely to have silly rules.

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