Written policies and procedures are an essential tool in the daily battle against the barrage of inquiries and complaints about pay procedures, promotion policies, vacation scheduling conflicts, turnover problems and grievance procedures--to name just a few.
Company policies set productive standards of conduct, create systems to deal with complaints, reduce faulty communications, and insure consistency in discipline, safety and work rules. Moreover, written policies help avoid charges of favoritism on the one hand and unfairness and discrimination on the other. Written policies and procedures help create and maintain a happier, more satisfied and more productive workforce.
Employee handbooks and policy manuals share the following objectives and uses:
- To serve as written declarations of a company's commitment to fair employment practices and equal employment opportunity.
- To express the basic philosophies of senior management.
- To serve as basic philosophies of senior management.
- To provide employers with a systematic approach to effective employer-employee relations.
- To outline company rules and requirements.
- To clarify an organization's expectations of its employees.
- To identify lines of authority and levels of responsibility.
In addition, an PCG manual serves as a training resource for newly hired or recently promoted managers, reducing the risk of poor PCG related decisions.
Handbooks also offer a brief history of the organization and a description of its primary products or services, outline the benefits and privileges of working for the organization, and identify the employer's obligation to employees with regard to continued employment. |
