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Writing a Human Resource Policy Manual
By Joanna Taylor
Dec 26, 2005, 22:10
How do you make sure everyone in the company understands your mission, and how do you communicate clearly all of the practices you want maintained within your business while at the same time protecting the company should one of your employees disobey the rules? What about bereavement leave? Is there a dress code? Your company’s HR Policy Manual, if created correctly, will outline specific guidelines for employee conduct, payroll, benefits, internet and computer use, organizational structure, and will provide the foundation for every procedure needed to help your employees communicate clearly with each other and be as productive as possible.
There are many tools available to help you write a policy manual. The quickest and easiest tool is a software package. It provides templates for each type of policy you’ll need to write and basic legal information. Packages range in price from $99 to $500 depending on how comprehensive you want to be. A quick Internet search will supply a wide variety of options.
There are also online companies that offer individual policy writing or complete manual writing for a fee. The cost varies widely, and most come with online support to answer questions and check verbiage for accuracy.
It is important to note that any software you purchase or policies you download will need to be adjusted to fit your company. Specifically, you’ll need to write and format the manual so that all your employees will be able to understand it, and so that your beliefs are well established.
After you’ve determined what policies you want to highlight, take the time to consider and work on the actual wording of the manual. Here are a few tips on the writing process:
• Keep in mind your vision: The goals within the mission statement are the basis for your policies and come from the ideals and vision of your company. Where you want your company to go in the future and in what manner you want to get there should be clearly seen in the policy manual. In order for the manual to be an effective tool in governing your workplace, it must project the sentiment of the company.
• Keep in mind your employees: Make sure everyone in the company can understand the policies and any legal notes. The clearer the writing the less confusion there will be regarding your desires for how the company is to be run. If you employ a large number of Spanish-speaking employees, consider translating the document into Spanish. Also, use photos, bullet points, charts and graphs to break up lengthy paragraphs and sections. If the manual is not stimulating enough, it’s content will be lost
• Take the time to do it right: Policies may change during the course of your company’s growth as your mission may shift slightly, but if you have created your HR Policy Manual correctly the first time, any adjustments will be simple and time won’t be wasted on editing a confusing chapter or policy.
One last tip: It’s a good idea to get advice from an HR consultant or business lawyer to make sure that your legal bases are covered by your HR manual. The last thing your business needs is to be bogged down with HR lawsuits that arrive from unclear policies and procedures regarding employee conduct or company information misuse. Write an HR Policy Manual correctly and both you and your employees will be more productive.
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