Did You Document That? The Importance of Written Policies In Your Workplace.

It is often said that if it’s not in writing, it doesn’t exist. The truth is more complicated than that, but it is always best practice to have your employment policies in writing.

Avoid this

For example, perhaps your business provides employees with a generous paid time off benefit; however, the policy is not in writing. A new manager is unclear about the policy and rejects Jane Doe’s request for time off. Under the policy, Jane Doe’s request should have been approved, and even worse, that same manager approved a similar request for John Doe last week. Jane Doe is now upset and feels discriminated against because of her sex. The new manager had no discriminatory intent but was unsure of the PTO rules and decided each request quickly on a whim. Consequently, the manager is also flustered and upset at you for not having the paid-time-off policy readily available for review.

The above scenario presents a prime example of why written policies are beneficial. If the new manager had been provided with the written paid-time-off policy upon hire, they could have adequately studied the policy. Additionally, they could have referenced back to the policy when John and Jane Doe requested time off to ensure that each employee was treated per the policy.

Protect your business

Another reason written policies are vital to a business is for support if an employee lodges a discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation complaint. Or, a wage and hour complaint. If that happens, your business can say that it provides all employees with a legally compliant policy. Further, and hopefully applicable, your business can attest that said policy was followed, thus the employee does not have a valid legal claim.

Why it matters

Essentially, written policies ensure that both hourly and management employees are provided with clear instructions and expectations. Further, they provide the business with a layer of protection. In doing so, everyone is spared the headache of confusion, frustration, and hurt feelings.  

Channels

There are several channels for issuing written policies. Policies can be handed to employees on a piecemeal basis, as part of a more comprehensive employee handbook, or via an online employee portal. It is recommended that employees sign off on all written policies, and policies should be updated as the policy or applicable law changes. As an extra step, it is beneficial to review policies on an annual basis to determine if refinements should be made and implemented.

OER can help

Optimal Employee Relations can assist in reviewing, auditing, drafting, and implementing policies. Implementation may include issuing the policies during an employee training session or developing processes for issuing to employees upon hire and on an annual basis.

Don’t hesitate to contact Optimal Employee Relations with any related questions. To get started, just fill out the form below.