My employer is promulgating a new Employee Handbook.
This is never a good thing.
Example:
When it was issued, our HR person sent mail saying "Coming pick it up and sign for it saying that you picked it up." And words to the effect of "signing for it doesn't commit you to anything". Which, of course, is a lie; the form where you sign for it explicitly says you agree to be bound by it.
It's full of new evil, like our previously "generous" sick leave policy of ten days per year being reduced to six. It's always a good idea to shove down your employees' throats the idea that you're not a generous company, because nothing inspires more loyalty.
Our original dress code was very general precisely because you can get into trouble by being too specific. Our new dress code is extremely specific (skirts are OK, unless they're below the waist). I especially like the part where you can bring up "genuine religious" concerns to try and get exceptions to the dress code. That's not fraught with peril.
It also says that tennis shoes are verboten, which previously were not.
Now, I have no intention of signing or agreeing to the new handbook and I have every intention of continuing to wear tennis shoes to work, as I expect many of my co-workers to do.
My question is, should I keep quiet or should I bring up the flagrant stupidities of the handbook to my manager?
"I've marked a few corrections in my copy of the Employee Handbook. Please sign here to indicate that you've approved them."
No comment. Just no comment.
Except maybe 'poor Jacquie'.
"No, no, these aren't tennis shoes. I've never played tennis in my life. These are table-tennis shoes."
And if you or Jason want to wear a skirt, I can hook you up with a rental place.
So, if I can't wear tennis shoes, can I wear heels?
I bet your handbook doesn't explicitly forbid the wearing of jammies.
It may not directly address kimonos.
I have my doubts about whether it references the donning of scuba gear.
Scofflawyering: it's not just for gaming any more!
I think we can count on Jason and Greg to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that specific restrictions on their conduct are trivially unenforceable by means of bandying semantics.
If any of your cow-orkers need encouragement on how to bend excessively precise rules, I point out Sgt. Skippy, who is clearly a discordian saint, at least 2nd class...
My question is, should I keep quiet or should I bring up the flagrant stupidities of the handbook to my manager?
Allow me to re-phrase the question:
"Should I pour this Drano down the sink, or into my throat?" Your manager may vary, but I've found that, with respect to HR-excreted stupidities, managers are either fully in favor of them, or helpless against them. All you're doing is tipping your hand when it's time to play stupid and ignore them.