Using Company Policies

Using company policies and procedures protect you and your employees

By Angela Roe, Freelance Writer

Company policies perform a variety of necessary actions, including providing clear instruction on how your employees are expected to behave and laying out what is acceptable and unacceptable within your company. Employee policies help avoid misunderstandings and provide legal protection from harassment and unfair treatment of staff members.

Create employee manuals that meet not only legal standards like addressing sexual harassment but also address issues such as dress code, tardiness and time-off policies.

1. Locate employee manual software programs to create your company procedures manual.

2. Use a high-quality employee handbook template to get you started with company manuals.

3. Save time and money using web-based employee handbook software.

Purchase employee manual software

Look for software designed to help you create an employee handbook that is specific to your industry. Take advantage of free trial offers and discuss ongoing technical support and training before you make a final decision on which software program to purchase. Also ensure that any software you're considering is compatible with the programs you currently run.
Try: Policy Technology International prides itself on offering user-friendly policy-making software and is known as an industry leader in this area. TemplateZone offers software designed to help you create legal employee manuals to protect both you and your staff.

Take advantage of employee manual templates

Explore prefilled templates that allow you to customize or edit specific fields so you can customize a handbook to meet your professional needs. Templates provide you with the starting point and allow you to tweak the documents to fit your specific needs, saving you the time and money of creating a manual from scratch.
Try: Atlas Business Solutions offers editable templates that get you started with company policies basics that you can then tailor to your specific industry. Bizmanualz has a set of nine prewritten and fully editable Word documents to allow you to create the exact wording you want for your employee manuals.

Opt for web-based employee manuals

Save on the costs of printing and distribution by opting for web-based programs. Evaluate how your employees can access the completed manual and how updates would be communicated to you and to your staff.
Try: Innovative Data Solutions offers web-based software for you to create paperless company policy manuals that your employees access through your intranet. Thompson has a build-your-own company handbook process that allows you to send employees to the Internet to view it, saving you the time and cost of printing.

Make reviewing and signing of business manuals mandatory on a regular basis to make sure the policies are understood. This is a good way to keep everyone focused on professionalism and to provide your business with an additional layer of legal protection.

Using Company Policies