Feature
Why bother with Policies & Procedures? “Many managers consider that an organisation’s Human Resources Policies and Procedures are more of a hindrance than a help-a piece of bureaucratic red tape restricting their ability to manage staff effectively. They see these policies as getting in the way of maximizing production and ultimately the bottom line and feel that things would be so much simpler if one was allowed the adopt the ‘common sense’ approach to managing issues and staff within the workplace. This view could not be further from the truth”. By Sharon Moses
Policies and procedures have a fundamental role in providing clear statements about how things are done within the organisation. It tells employees what is expected of them and the standards of acceptable behaviour, the consequences of not complying with policies and procedures, and helps the manager to operate in a fair and consistent manner adhering to:• Employment legislation • Health & Safety and well-being of all employees • Best Practice When things go wrong at work and an employer ultimately finds himself being challenged at an Employment Tribunal, it is the organisation’s Policies and Procedures which is referred to by the Tribunal, the robustness and reasonableness of these, and how they have been applied, or the lack of application of them.
they exist, why they are important, how they are required to conduct themselves in carrying out their work, and how breaches of these rules would be dealt with i.e., the consequences. It is important here to understand the key relationship between the policies and procedures of an organisation and thecapability of its HR team, as both the policies and the team would be required tobe highly effective to achieve the required results. The capability of the HR team is fundamental, through its function, for delivering the strategic priorities of the organisation and ensuring that profits are fully aligned with these strategic priorities.
and delivery of the business in an effective, efficient and professional manner. Fully achieving this will, of course, depend on the capability of the HR team to work in this strategic manner. It would therefore be important to benchmark the skills and capabilities of the HR team against what the market has told us ‘great HR’ looks like in terms of the required competencies, and then, identify any capability gap within the HR Team, and where these gaps would need to be filled, in order to strengthen the function and its capability to deliver through its policies and procedures. An understanding of the difference between policies and procedures is key. Although they sit side by side and are frequently presented as a whole, they are separate documents.
The strategic aspect of human resources management therefore requires the matching of the organisation’s HR policies, procedures and activities to all key business The policy tells the ‘rules’ (the strategies, in order to fully support the what) of the organisation and the business and the people strategies. ‘Procedures’ (the how) and explains The policies and procedures are how the policy should be applied, therefore the ‘backbone’ of an The policies and procedures are the steps that should be taken, the organisation’s infrastructure as therefore the tools which are used order in which they should be taken it governs and controls how the to achieve this. To be regarded as and clear guidance on the roles and organisation conducts itself in strategic the HR function would responsibilities assigned in carrying managing its most valuable asset, develop and deploy for the business out the Policy. its staff, to perform to optimum a set of tools and techniques, which standards. is expressed through its policies and It is therefore vital that all policies procedures, and facilitate the use of and procedures are ‘fit for purpose’ By having staff understand effective these tools for the management of its and continue to be ‘fit’ in complying policies and procedures and working employees. with employment law, best practice, within laid down processes, ensures health & safety and the needs of the the organisation eliminates risks for This in turn, communicates the values organisation. both employee and employer. and expectations of the organisation Through its policies, staff receive and enables the necessary actions and Cont. on page 20 guidance and fully understand the interventions within the business, in ‘rules’ of the organisation, why order to improve performance PM - Page 19