They also provide standards for vulnerable citizens, such as guidelines for their healthcare, food safety in facilities, living conditions in facilities or domicile care, general safety and security, and well-being and protection during civil emergencies, such as pandemic, earthquake, or severe weather events. Although it is important to customize any documents for your situation, policy and procedure documents tend to include core elements that help identify the document and provide the information necessary:.
If your organization must create many policies and procedures, consider purchasing a purpose-built policy management platform. Such software provides templates and a central hub for drafting, reviewing, and publishing documentation and built-in version control. Some programs also offer self-training capability, which includes recordkeeping for grades in quizzes.
This is important for compliance audits. Manual template packages are also available for sale, sometimes with software. Policy management plugins provide policy document management for common collaboration platforms.
If documents are created in a word processing program, migrating them to a central location is of greater significance. Many organizations provide a web portal for policies and procedures, where users can easily search on keywords for the desired content.
No matter how the documents are created, online publishing options help to ensure that users can easily access the latest version. Binders of documents that no one can find have never been helpful. Many of the steps for preparing policies are echoed in the preparation of procedures.
For procedures, the need to understand the process is of particular importance. When writing a procedure, keep the following things in mind:.
Work instructions must be specific about how a task is completed. Visual cues help learners with marginal or no reading skills, and graphics aid all users to more easily grasp and retain concepts.
Keep the following things in mind when writing work instructions:. Work instructions may consist of only bullet points. Text must be scannable with clear headings. Some software packages for manufacturing add animation and 3D capability to help process engineers and shop floor workers better visualize instructions. Document management systems enable reuse of validated procedures and instructions that are common to many activities, which eliminates the need to rewrite steps and the possibility of introducing ambiguities.
To help you achieve this, write with the reader in mind and follow these tips:. Download this document with tips on tone to maximize the effectiveness and readability of your policies and procedures. In addition to writing clearly, you can enhance the usability of your policies and procedures with a clear layout and optimal use of color and graphics, such as charts, diagrams, and images. Many fields and regulatory areas have predefined templates that can expedite your writing process by showing the types of content you must add.
You can customize the content to suit your organization. If you have the a designer who can help you create icons or choose existing ones, these symbols can help direct users to appropriate sections of your documents. Although policies and procedures serve different purposes, they can be combined in one document, particularly when both the policies and accompanying procedures are short.
Some believe, however, that their different roles are a good reason to separate then into two documents. Ideally, you should update procedures and especially work instructions frequently to reflect innovations in process or address problems and incidents. You can revise policies less frequently. To have an efficient and compliant organization, you need all three p documents — policies, procedures, and processes — plus something else: work instructions.
The terms policy and procedure are sometimes confused and used interchangeably, whereas they serve different purposes. Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change.
The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed.
Try Smartsheet for free, today. In This Article. What Is Meant by Policies and Procedures? Keep your employees connected, informed, and engaged with Smartsheet. What Are Company Policies and Procedures? Policy Procedure Creation Workflow. Here is why policies and procedures are crucial to your organization: Policies and procedures help employees maintain compliance and mitigate or even eliminate risks.
In a regulated industry, they demonstrate legal and regulatory compliance. Policies provide a means to change your company culture. Creating policies and procedures requires spending in dollars and work hours, but what is the cost of a process failure, an injury, or damaged property? Characteristics of Good Policies and Procedures How do you get the best policy and procedure for your situation? Increase Accountability, Training, and Responsibility: Applied correctly, policies and procedures can provide a structure for continual improvement.
Streamline Internal Processes: Ideally, the best processes should be captured, and these provide the most efficient path for day-to-day activities. Help Organizations Avoid Errors and Maneuver Through Incidents and Problems: Good policies and procedures proactively anticipate problems and provide a structure for avoiding troubles or dealing with an immediate problem.
Suggested Basic Policies and Procedures Specific policies and procedures may vary depending on the type of organization. Common Health and safety Privacy and data protection Equity, diversity, anti-discrimination, and anti-harassment Financial Attendance Confidentiality Risk management. Unique to Industry Construction Technology Retail Board of directors and trustee code of conduct Board of directors and trustee code of conduct Board of directors and trustee code of conduct Hazard reporting Bring your own device BYOD Service outside of business hours.
Pitfalls of Policies and Procedures Certainly, establishing a consistent, efficient, and effective way of doing things is desirable, and policies and procedures can help. Companies with Progressive Policies Progressive company policies include such things as allowing access to personal social media during office hours, permitting work from home or remote work access , or offering paid time off i.
Ironworkers: Up to six months of paid maternity leave for female employees before the birth of a baby Etsy: Up to six months paid parental leave for the birth of a baby IKEA: Up to four months paid parental leave, including for adoptive and foster parents Starbucks: Paid maternity and paternity leave for everyone Adobe: Up to four months of paid time off for the primary caregiver after a birth or time off for either parent of a newly adopted, fostered, or surrogate child Google: Up to 18 weeks of leave for the birth mother, extending to 22 weeks after a complicated birth.
Up to 12 weeks of paid leave for primary caregivers of either gender for adoptions, fosters, and surrogate children. Seven weeks for non-primary caregivers. Microsoft: Three months paid parental leave, in addition to two more months for birth mothers Twitter: Up to five months of paid leave for birth mothers and 10 weeks for fathers Spotify: Up to six months of paid parental leave for all full-time employees Netflix: Unlimited paid leave for the first year after a birth or adoption Facebook: Up to 17 weeks of paid parental leave Reddit: Up to 17 weeks of paid parental leave.
At a minimum, the following policies and procedures apply: Establishment code of conduct Child safety Operating schedule Parent handbook Employee handbook Disaster and emergency procedure Proof of national accreditation.
Common Elements of Policies and Procedures Although it is important to customize any documents for your situation, policy and procedure documents tend to include core elements that help identify the document and provide the information necessary: Clear Title: Use as few words as possible and ensure that users at any reading level can understand.
Brief Description of the Policy: A description or introduction orients users to the scope and purpose of the policy. A Filing Number: A filing or tracking number may be unique to your organization. No matter what your numbering system, ensure that your title describes the content of the document. Key Dates: Dates include the approval date of the original document, the annual review date, and the latest version date. Dates are important for tracking versions around legislative and other updates.
Policy Purpose: The purpose describes why the policy exists. Where policies are significantly changed they should be re-issued to all staff and the changes explained to them to ensure they understand the organisation's new directions. These changes should also be widely publicised. Policies also need to be reviewed on a regular basis and updated where necessary. For example, if there is a change in equipment or workplace procedures you may need to amend your current policy or develop a new one.
Employment law changes, changes to your award or agreement may also require a review of your policies and procedures. Stay up to date with relevant changes by regularly checking Fair Work Ombudsman. Helpful Resources Guides and Factsheets Webinars. Related information and contacts for people new to work Safety, bullying and discrimination in the workplace Trainees and Apprentices. About us Contact us Publications Subscribe Email us. Search Search. Workplace Policies and Procedures Checklist.
Explore this page What is a workplace policy? Benefits of having workplace policies. Developing and introducing workplace policies Policy checklist Types of workplace policies. What is a workplace policy? Benefits of having workplace policies Well-written workplace policies: are consistent with the values of the organisation comply with employment and other associated legislation demonstrate that the organisation is being operated in an efficient and businesslike manner ensure uniformity and consistency in decision-making and operational procedures add strength to the position of staff when possible legal actions arise save time when a new problem can be handled quickly and effectively through an existing policy foster stability and continuity maintain the direction of the organisation even during periods of change provide the framework for business planning assist in assessing performance and establishing accountability clarify functions and responsibilities.
Developing and introducing workplace policies Step 1 — Management Support It is crucial to have senior management support for the implementation or modification of a policy, especially where policies relate to employee behaviour.
Step 2 - Consult with staff Involve staff in developing and implementing workplace policies to promote stronger awareness, understanding and ownership of the outcome.
Step 3 - Define the terms of the policy Be explicit. Example 1: Occupational health and safety No employee is to commence work, or return to work while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Example 2: Email policy Using the organisation's computer resources to seek out, access or send any material of an offensive, obscene or defamatory nature is prohibited and may result in disciplinary action. Step 4 - Put the policies in writing and publicise them To be effective, policies need to be publicised and provided to all existing and new employees.
Step 6 — Implementation It is important that policies are applied consistently throughout the organisation. Case study An organisation which dismissed an employee for sexual harassment was subsequently ordered to re-employ the sacked staff member as they had failed to follow their own policy. Identify clear methods for monitoring performance and developing employees through training.
Document and Records Retention Policies — Create structured policies for document retention and storage based on local, state, and federal requirements. Download Policy Management WhitePaper. Industries Served. Policy Management — Best Practices Visit our resource library for industry best practice tips and tools and for case studies on how our software has helped clients in your industry.
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