How to develop policies and procedures in the workplace

One of the main purposes of a workplace policy is to communicate to employees what is your company standard and how they should behave or perform.

How to Implement Workplace Policies and Procedures

Policies are statements that describe how human resource management process will be carried out in an organisation. It reflects the values of an organisation and the requirement of the employer in relation to expectations, behaviours and performance. An effective workplace policy with clearly defined acceptable and unacceptable behaviour leads to efficient employee management.

Importance of workplace policy

Workplace policies clarify the standard operating procedure and may also include the implications of not complying with those policies. They should include broad guidelines on action to be taken in simple terms, free of jargon. Depending on the topic it addresses, the length of the policy may vary. The policy is of no use if there is no discretion in its implementation.

Steps to follow while developing workplace policy

• Have management support
• Involve employees in developing and implementing policy
• Define the key terms of the policy
• Have the policies in writing and publicise them
• Regular referral to the policy
• Ensure they are implemented consistently
• Review and evaluate the policy regularly

Policy Checklist

• The aim of the policy
• The reason for the policy
• List of employees who the policy applies to
• What is acceptable or unacceptable behaviour?
• Consequences of not complying with the policy
• The date when the policy was generated or updated

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5 Steps to Developing Policies And Procedures are essential for the long-term prosperity of any business. Many businesses fail because they don’t have clearly defined policies and procedures. Clear policies and procedures can help enterprises set expectations, maintain accountability, comply with the law, and defend themselves against employee claims.

Clearly defined policies and procedures are even more critical during emergencies. They can prevent a business from collapsing when emergencies arise. Want to know how to develop policies and procedures for your business? Read on:

Policy and procedure development occurs in 5 main stages: Planning, development, review, implementation and final.

• • Planning stage
  • Identification of the problem or need
  • Businesses develop policies and procedures in anticipation of a market or response to a need.
  • In anticipation of a need

  Policy development and procedures should reflect a similar approach to project management guidelines. To establish a workable and quality policy and practices may follow the following pathway.

  Planning & Research:

  • Have the project goals been set and reviewed as relevant?
  • Does the project manager have the skills to manage the project?
  • Identified need for Policy/Procedure (researched) & have project authorised.
  • Identify all stakeholders who will be affected by the policy/procedure.
  • I am establishing a communication strategy (employees, community etc.).
  • Have your industry best practice outcomes been shown?
  • Consult with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Consider compliance and legislation.
  • The organisation’s standard template is available.
  • Using the information above – produce a brief draft copy!

Twenty-five/Thirty years ago, when emergencies inevitably occurred. The emergency services frequently reported that business occupants were running around with no real purpose and potentially putting lives at risk. Often situations were significantly out of control when the first responders arrived. This tended to place occupants at far greater risk. Thus, an Australian standard for Emergency management in facilities was established.

This standard, backed by federal and state legislation, guided organizations on how they could better protect their people. Thus, establishing a group of policies and procedures which created a group of first responders in every facility to coordinate the initial part of an emergency. With fantastic skills and resources, the emergency services became the second responders.

Does your organization have an emergency plan and a group of trained responders? (See Australian Standard 3745:2010)

• Review work completed so far for the contradiction of other organisational policies.
• Determined a testing method to ensure it is workable, i.e. tabletop exercise.
• Have those with disabilities been considered?
• Have those with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds been considered?

• Establish a training and implementation plan.
• Determine a method of critical (after the incident) and long-term review.
• Identify/create supporting documents (designed to ensure workability).
• Have the project goals been achieved adequately?
• Has senior management signed off on the policy and procedure?

For example, when a business anticipates that a record number of people will buy their products online in the next year, the management will develop policies and procedures beforehand to take advantage of the opportunity and maximize profits. They’ll let employees know about policies and procedures to ensure smooth implementation.

For example, when the government announces regulatory changes, businesses will develop policies and procedures to respond to the announcement so that they are not affected.

Some businesses develop policies without procedures, which is okay. But systems are essential, especially where there is a need for specific operational instructions. In other words, employees will need to know the steps to take when an emergency or other less critical activity occurs.

2. It starts with a plan

The policyholder, who is responsible for the content of the policies and procedures, as well as implementation, will draw up a plan that includes phases and timelines, such as;

• Analysis
• Research
• Drafting
• Consultation
• Review
• Revision
• Editing
• Finalizing
• Implementation

The policyholder will then identify the main stakeholders for the consultation process. Most policy developers require that the policy development team comprise people who will be affected directly by the policies and procedures.

Research

The policyholder will then organize a sit down with the policy and procedure implementation team and research issues related to the policies and procedures, such as legislation and best practices. They will also prepare interview questions for the consultation stage. The policyholder will also consult experts in the domain in this stage.

3. Development stage

Documentation of all policy and procedure statements regarding the research stage is done in this stage. The policy statements should meet the following criteria:

• They should be clear
• concise
• and specific

The language used in the policy statements should be simple for everyone to understand. The policy and procedure document should spell out the policies and procedures and the expectations of the people who will use them. It should also enhance readability. So, the policyholder must use headers and numbers in the document.

The policyholder will present the draft policy and procedure document to the appropriate stakeholders, such as the government, human resources department, financial department, marketing department and other stakeholders affected by the policies and procedures for review and feedback.

The policyholder will then organize a sit-down with the policy and procedure development team to review the feedback and make the necessary revisions. The document will then be sent to the legal department for review if required.

• Drawing up an ambitious implementation and communications strategy

After the feedback review, the policyholder and the communication department will develop an ambitious plan to roll out the policies and procedures.

4. Review

This stage will include a review of the draft policies and procedure document, as well as recommendations and approval. The format of the draft document will be classified and numbered by the administrative services analyst. Once the administrative services analyst completes the classification and numbering, they will return it to the policyholder with the required revisions.

The draft policies and procedure document will then be presented to the executive team for review and approval. The executive team will look at the draft policies and procedures and provide feedback on it, including the modifications required. Once revised, the policyholder will send the draft document back to the executive team, who will approve it once satisfied.

The policyholder may require the approval of the draft document from the board of governors, mainly if it contains policies and procedures touching on governance.

5. Implementation

Once the board of governors approves the draft document, it is returned to the administration services analyst, who will generate a final copy of the policy and procedure document. The policyholder will then sign the document. The administration services analyst will retain final copies of the policies and procedures and note the dates approved by the executive team and board of governors.

The administrator and the policyholder will communicate the policies and procedures and ensure that those impacted by them comprehend the content. This will require in-depth consultation with the communication department and employees.

Once employees have understood the policies and procedures, all the approved policies and procedures will be posted on the business or company website (on the policy and procedure page). The document will also be available in PDF format.

5. Final review

The administrator will ensure compliance with the policies and procedures by monitoring their implementation. Further clarification, training, and communications may be initiated if issues arise when monitoring implementation.

The policies and procedures will be reviewed time after time-based on the time frames established in the development stage. The appropriate number of times policies and procedures should be reviewed once every five years.

Furthermore, review periods should be seen as an opportunity to update policy and procedures. Minor changes to the policies and procedures need not go through the review and approval process. The policyholder can make them. However, the executive team must send all the revised changes to determine the next steps.

In Conclusion

Developing policies and procedures is a complex and dynamic process. It requires cooperation and commitment of the executive, policyholder, stakeholders and employees. But when developed and implemented correctly, the business or company can run efficiently and achieve its goals quickly. It can also help the business or company comply with its legal and social environment and cultivate good relationships with its employees and customers.