Policies and procedures document guidelines for your business operations. A formal document signed by your employees, volunteers, and partners protects your company should someone act outside of accepted practices. Properly written, the document protects you from legal liability should someone accidentally or intentionally act outside of local, state, or federal laws and regulations.
Here are ten things you should consider when drafting your policies and procedures:
1. Consider starting from a template to save time, reduce costs, and help insure that you cover the necessary areas.
2. Customize any template you use. Never use a template without customization. Your policies and procedures must cover your unique business requirements. A template will rarely meet all your needs.
3. Create a review team. Make sure that your executive team is included. Each person on the team must carefully review the guidelines before publication because your company becomes bound to operate within the guidelines you present to your employees, impacted consultants, and partners.
Note: Include your lawyer in the final review process to be sure you have covered all your legal requirements.
4. Create a sign off procedure so that you know each member of your review team formerly supports your policies and procedures.
5. Include in your policies an annual review to make sure the policies and procedures you created still meet the needs of your business.
6. Make sure your document includes a commitment signature page and require that all employees, impacted consultants, and partners sign indicating they have read and agreed to be bound by the guidelines. Include a review of your policies and procedures as a step in your new hire orientation process.
Note: Without a signature stating that the person signing agrees to follow the policies, procedures, and guidelines included within the document, the document is not legally binding. Record signatures whether gathered electronically or in hard copy. Every employee, impacted consultant, or partner should have a documented signature page in his / her human resources file.
7. Keep the document relatively short to help insure that all those required actually do read the document.
8. Separate procedures from policies if the procedures are departmentally specific, require extensive documentation, or will require updates more often than once a year.
9. Refer to other guidelines that must be followed such as IT policies and procedures, industry regulations, document safety processes, and your disaster recovery plan. Make sure that the individuals covered by the additional guidelines, policies, or procedures review and sign those documents as well.
10. Follow industry standard guidelines when creating your document such as creating a static numbering system so your policies and procedure numbers never change.
Note: Consider hiring a consultant with experience to draft your original policies and procedures document. An expert will make sure your document is written with requirements for your industry and within standards for clear documentation.
(c) Business Solutions Consulting
Here are ten things you should consider when drafting your policies and procedures:
1. Consider starting from a template to save time, reduce costs, and help insure that you cover the necessary areas.
2. Customize any template you use. Never use a template without customization. Your policies and procedures must cover your unique business requirements. A template will rarely meet all your needs.
3. Create a review team. Make sure that your executive team is included. Each person on the team must carefully review the guidelines before publication because your company becomes bound to operate within the guidelines you present to your employees, impacted consultants, and partners.
Note: Include your lawyer in the final review process to be sure you have covered all your legal requirements.
4. Create a sign off procedure so that you know each member of your review team formerly supports your policies and procedures.
5. Include in your policies an annual review to make sure the policies and procedures you created still meet the needs of your business.
6. Make sure your document includes a commitment signature page and require that all employees, impacted consultants, and partners sign indicating they have read and agreed to be bound by the guidelines. Include a review of your policies and procedures as a step in your new hire orientation process.
Note: Without a signature stating that the person signing agrees to follow the policies, procedures, and guidelines included within the document, the document is not legally binding. Record signatures whether gathered electronically or in hard copy. Every employee, impacted consultant, or partner should have a documented signature page in his / her human resources file.
7. Keep the document relatively short to help insure that all those required actually do read the document.
8. Separate procedures from policies if the procedures are departmentally specific, require extensive documentation, or will require updates more often than once a year.
9. Refer to other guidelines that must be followed such as IT policies and procedures, industry regulations, document safety processes, and your disaster recovery plan. Make sure that the individuals covered by the additional guidelines, policies, or procedures review and sign those documents as well.
10. Follow industry standard guidelines when creating your document such as creating a static numbering system so your policies and procedure numbers never change.
Note: Consider hiring a consultant with experience to draft your original policies and procedures document. An expert will make sure your document is written with requirements for your industry and within standards for clear documentation.
(c) Business Solutions Consulting
