Workplace policies need to be practical, up-to-date, and easily accessible and understandable. If adopting policies is seen as just a tick-box exercise, and the policies are then just put it away in a drawer, businesses can find themselves without clear, relevant guidance when workplace problems arise later. So … are your business’s workplace policies effective and up to date?
Workplace policies help let your employees know what rules and expectations apply to them, and they’re important for guiding consistent and fair decision making.
If a workplace problem arises, having an effective, up-to-date policy for that area will provide a practical framework for addressing the issue in a way that’s fair and lawful.
Areas your policies may need to cover
The size and nature of your business will determine what policies you need. But common workplace policies include:
- leave
- health and safety
- drug and alcohol use
- technology and AI use
- privacy and information management
- CCTV and surveillance
- safe driving and vehicle usage
- harassment, bullying, and workplace conduct.
Effective workplace policies are clear, accessible, and practical
A workplace policy should do more than simply state rules. To be effective, it must be clear and easily understandable, written in plain language. A policy that’s hard to understand, or that’s vague and ambiguous, will only create new headaches when you need to resolve a workplace issue in the relevant area.
Remember too to explain any legal or technical terms. Think of everyone who will need to read and apply the policy and what their needs are as readers.
Your policies should be practical and usable, reflecting your business’s needs and current practices, and be written in a way that allows the policies to be applied consistently across your business.
What an effective workplace policy should include
A clear purpose and scope
- Each policy should explain its purpose and why it is needed.
- It should identify who the policy applies to.
Rules and responsibilities clearly set out
- The policy should clearly set out the standards of conduct or behaviour that are expected.
- It should set out roles and responsibilities, and who has the authority to make decisions.
Processes and practices accurately described
- The policy should describe, clearly and in sufficient detail, any relevant processes – for example, investigations of misconduct allegations. This will ensure you have consistency across different cases, and it will let your people know exactly what to expect.
In line with the law and your business’s operations
- The policy needs to be consistent with current legal obligations.
- It should also be consistent with your organisation’s day-to-day operations and practices, so that the policy is clear and usable in practice.
Review your policies at least every two years
Creating workplace policies is only the first step. They need to be reviewed regularly to make sure they continue to accurately reflect your organisation’s operations, workforce, and legal obligations.
As a general guideline, review your policies at least every two years. But if there’s been a significant law change, or a major change in how your business functions, policies should be reviewed and updated sooner.
Regular reviews help your policies stay relevant and legally compliant.
Top tip: Make sure your privacy policy reflects the new privacy notification rule
A new privacy notification rule came into force on 1 May this year, and your business’s privacy policies and practices will need to reflect this change.
The new rule, Information Privacy Principle 3A (IPP3A), applies when organisations collect information about an individual indirectly – for example, when checking a job applicant’s references. There are some exceptions, but if no exception applies the organisation must notify the person concerned as soon as reasonably practicable.
We explain more about this change in another article of The Good Employer.
If you need help with reviewing or updating your workplace policies, or creating new policies where none currently exist, please contact Paul Gillespie.