Most Americans enter the workforce when they’re adults, or very nearly. And as adults, they are capable of committing to a job, working responsibly, and relying on their own decision-making. In short, they are able and trustworthy team members. You wouldn’t have chosen them if they weren’t! So why do so many companies cling to HR policies that treat their employees like high-schoolers?

Here are five childish HR policies that need to grow up:

1. Draconian attendance policies. Ten minutes late? Here’s a tardy slip—er, a written warning. What self-respecting adult wants to go back to that level of scrutiny? When you put trust in your employees, they will try their best to be at work on time. But mornings are rife with variables: traffic, kids, wardrobe malfunctions. Stuff happens now and again. Is it worth disciplinary action? Of course, the habitually late employee may need help figuring out how to get to work on time. That’s when a friendly powwow can help, not probation.
2. Forbidden salary discussions. You know that policy that says employees can’t discuss their salaries with each other? If many employment regulations allow salary conversations, why should you try to inhibit them? And what’s to fear, that Sarah will find out she makes $5,000 less for doing the same job Sam does? If your compensation policies are fair and consistent, let your adult employees talk about their take-home . . . unless they need a hall pass to do that, too.
3. Doctor’s notes. Many companies still require employees to provide a doctor’s note to verify illness or to provide clearance to return to work. (Forging Mom’s signature is one thing; forging a medical professional’s is another!) Problem is, most adults know how to weather a cold or flu without a $30 copay. There’s no need to put them or their doctors out to justify a few days’ absence. If an employee doesn’t feel well enough to work, trust that they know their bodies best. And remember, mental health days can be just as important to employees’ well-being and productivity.
4. Permission to transfer. Some of the biggest gigs in the country have policies like this, which require employees to get their manager’s approval to change roles or promote internally (like, hey Mom and Dad, can I quit piano lessons?). What message does that send about employee development and retention? And why would you ever want to make it easier to take a new job outside the company than a new job inside it?
5. Proof of bereavement leave. Maybe somewhere in the annals of time, someone lied about their dear Grandma Jean’s death in exchange for a few days off (or an extension on the big midterm). But for however often that doesn’t happen, is it worth insulting your employees by asking for a funeral notice? Trust and sympathy pair a lot better with grief than micromanagement and suspicion. And if you can’t trust your team not to lie about Grandma Jean, maybe you should think about who you’re hiring!

You chose your team for a reason, because they are dependable, trustworthy adults who don’t need HR policies to parent them. Your employees are the brains behind your company’s future. Trust them to think and make decisions for themselves!