Good employees understand their value in the market. So when your business makes a mistake, your team’s best will likely be the first to flee.

Many rules and policies are created with good intentions. But over time, they’ve become outdated. There’s a good chance they’re squandering employee engagement.

If you can’t keep your best employees engaged, you’ll end up with a team composed of your weakest hires. Here are a few policies and rules you can probably cut from your employee handbook to retain your top talent.

Taking attendance

This isn’t just a new trend that arrived with Millennials, a survey of baby-boomers showed that 33% reported having left a job, and 14% said they’ve considered leaving one because they didn’t have access to flexible work options.

Going the extra mile

Stop taking frequent flyer miles. Our bodies and personal lives take a beating when we’re constantly on the road and in the air for our companies. The frequent-flyer miles earned are one of the few perks that make it tolerable.

Employees may feel underappreciated when their miles are stripped from them after a long trip. Most importantly, this isn’t a common practice anymore. A SHRM study shows that 65% of companies allow their employees to keep frequent flyer miles. If your company is keeping the miles, it’s like that your competitors are not.

Desk Decor

Letting your employees show others who they are is important, yet many companies control what people can display at their desks.

Sure, some things should be off limits. You don’t want someone displaying Orleans’ 1976 album Waking and Dreaming, but self-expression in the workplace is important. Eliminate your clean desk policy, because studies show that employees who put at least one picture or a plant in their cubicle are 15% more productive than those who don’t.

Can you hear me now?

People will always find a time and a place to text with family and friends during the workday. Banning mobile phones in the office will likely lead to your employees spending more time away from their desks to have these conversations. It can also demoralizes good employees who need to check their phones periodically due to pressing family or health issues or as an appropriate break from work.

A Bank of America study shows that 93% of millennials reported that their smartphones were “very” or “somewhat” important, making it that age group’s most prized possession.

Ask yourself: Who’s going to stick around if you take away their most prized possession for 8 hours per day?

Waiting for promotion

Many companies require six months of continuous service before employees are eligible to apply for open positions or promotions. But if an employee is strong and qualified, why wait?

You may not think you need to promote an employee who’s already so happy and invested, but great talent tends to have big career goals. If they feel like you’re holding them back, they’ll find a job that lets them take the next step.

Can you think of any policies at your company that are outdated? Eliminating them from the handbook could result in keeping your best employees at the company longer.

Interested in increasing employee engagement? Did you know that 67% of full-time employees say they are “extremely” or “very” happy with their current job when they have access to free food?