From start-ups through to established companies, HR polices are important and form an essential part of any company, regardless of its size.
Put in place for the benefit of both employees and managers, HR polices provide written guidance on how a wide range of employment issues should be handled, keeping employees on the same page and streamlining daily business operations.
HR policies can cover a wide range of topics, including codes of conduct, diversity, bullying and harassment, grievances, occupational health and safety, recruitment and selection, leave, social media, and more.
Here are just some of the key reasons HR polices are important for your business…
They define roles
It’s important that those within your business have a clear and comprehensive understanding of their role, as well as the roles of their colleagues.
HR polices help to ensure that everyone knows what they should be doing, how they should do it, and how their performance can impact on the business as a whole.
They establish rules
Everyone within your organisation, both managers and employees, should have a clear understanding of what constitutes acceptable behaviour within the workplace.
If you don’t define your expectations in writing, they can become ambiguous and open to interpretation.
By setting out in an official policy what you expect from your employees in terms of their behaviour, you are putting in place a framework for identifying and addressing any deviation from those standards. This will also help to protect your company from any potential litigation.
They outline consequences
As well as establishing your behavioural expectations, your HR polices also explain the consequences of violating these standards. This ensures that your employees know what to expect and have prior warning.
For example, your HR policies will outline the grounds for termination, giving employees fair warning and helping to protect your company from any repercussions if an employee is fired for violating policies that have been clearly outlined in the organisation’s policies.
They provide protection
By clearly documenting policies and procedures, HR polices can protect you as an employer and help to prevent any liability in the event of a dispute. This can provide defence in employment tribunals, unfair dismissal claims, occupational health and safety prosecutions, and other liability claims.
On the other hand, the policies also protect employees from any arbitrary and discriminatory actions by management and from bullying and harassment by colleagues.
They provide tools
HR policies also provide tools to help those within your company manage other employees, including employee handbooks and conduct guides. Tools like this not only help ensure that your company avoids any legal or litigation issues, but they also reduce the time and resources spent dealing with people issues, boosting productivity.
To discuss your company’s HR policies further or if you’re implementing an HR policy for the first time, get in touch – we’re ready and waiting to help.
