Company Policies Basics

Understanding company policies basics will help you create a comprehensive procedures manual

Before you get down to developing your company procedures manual, you need to understand what company policies basics actually are. Your employee policies need to cover general behavior like your dress code, tardy and absentee policy, telephone and Internet usage and email guidelines. Once you outline the basics, you can move on to company policies and procedures that handle legal concerns like sexual harassment.

Recognize the reasons for employment policies and the protection they provide to you and your staff members. Setting down clear and easy-to-understand guidelines allows you and your staff to agree on policies, procedures and behaviors that affect the quality of your work environment. Going beyond the basics and setting polices into place to handle legal issues protects you and your employees from potential litigation.

1. Educate yourself in basic HR policies such as vacation time, dress codes and standard work hours.

2. Find examples of Internet and email company policies.

3. Implement legal policies on delicate topics like sexual harassment and termination.

 

Learn the ins and outs of basic company policies and procedures

Take the time to cover the basics in your employee manual, such as how much vacation time to give employees, if your business needs a dress code and what your core business hours are. Spelling out each employee policy in detail -- even if it seems obvious to you -- can eliminate confusion in the long run.
Try: Check out ecouncil.org for tips on how to create appropriate employment policies regarding vacation days. EmployeeIssues.com encourages you to keep discrimination issues in mind when establishing the dress code part of business manuals.

Make sure company policy manuals include policies on Internet and email usage

Establishing company policies on email and Internet usage is imperative for any business. Make it very clear in your company manuals that the Internet and email is to be used for business purposes only, and outline the repercussions if the employee policy is abused.
Try: American Bar Association offers a helpful employee policy sample on Internet and email usage. Microsoft's Small Business Center provides advice on why it's so important to establish company policies and procedures regarding the Internet.

Carefully create employee policies on legal issues like sexual harassment

When company policies on dress code or vacation time are misunderstood by employees, your HR staff may be mildly inconvenienced. When a company procedures manual fails to properly address issues like sexual harassment, you company could be facing a lawsuit.
Try: Check out eHow for a helpful guide on creating a sexual harassment policy. EzineArticles.com suggests how a termination policy can affect the image of your company.

 

• Make sure that employee manuals clearly spell out the consequences for violating policies and outline the procedures for reporting violations. Provide all workers with an employee manual either printed out or online for their personal reference.
• Some websites offer an employee manual template that you can download as a helpful first step to creating your employee policy handbook.

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