Writing a Policy Manual for Your Store by Lynda Utterback Over the years, I have seen many policy manuals for ice cream shops. Many of these manuals are simple, some are more elaborate, but some stores do not even have a policy manual. Since many of your employees are new to the workforce, it is a good idea to give each one of them a policy manual. Call it what you want, a policy manual, operations guide, employee manual, rules and regulations, etc. It is a guideline, what you as the owner of the business, expect from your employees, anything from how to greet customers to how to mop the floor. Your manual should be updated every year. If you have a computer, this will be easy to do. If you don’t have a computer, talk to a local printer or copy center that does and arrange for them to put the manual on its computer to update next year. Be sure to get a back up of the original file of the manual. If this company is not around next year, you at least have the back up that you can take to another company to make the necessary changes. At the beginning of each season start a list of things to be covered in next year’s manual. Day by day you will encounter new experiences. For example, many stores have been adding rules about cell phone use and texting. These are
things you did not worry about a few years ago. Or you may want to add an addendum for employees this year. Your manual should be an ongoing project. And don’t forget to have your attorney read your manual. You don’t want to violate any state or Federal laws. What should you include in your manual? In what form should it be presented? That’s really up to you. You can use a three ring binder, of just have copies made and stapled together or made into a little booklet. A local printer or copy center can help if you don’t have a copy machine. If you are using a computer, you can just print copies yourself. Put your logo on the front cover, along with your contact information. Remember, this is your manual; the presentation should reflect your business philosophy. Use positive words whenever possible. For example, instead of saying, “No Smoking”, you could say, “This is a smoke free environment”. Or, “Please refrain from smoking while you are on the premises”. Remember, this is a first time job experience for many of your employees and you want them to have a positive experience so they will make a positive impression on your customers. The first thing you want to do is welcome your new employee. Tell them that ice cream is a happy business and they were hired because you thought they have a great personality, or whatever quality you liked about them during the interview, and they will help make your customers happy. Personalize each manual, if possible. Let them know what kind of skills they will learn while working in the ice cream shop, i.e. teamwork, salesmanship, interacting with customers, leadership, etc. If you want, you can give a brief history of your business. Make it brief; don’t overwhelm them with a lot of details. Tell them what days of the week you are open for business and your hours of operation each day. Mission Statement Tell them your mission statement, why you are in business. Again, it doesn’t have to be long. If you don’t have a mission statement, you should. You can start with the following statement and customize it to your operation: “Our purpose is to provide our customers with quality products and the best service possible, in a clean and pleasant atmosphere. When we give our best to our customers, they will return and tell their friends about their good experience. This will allow us to make a profit and provide jobs for our employees.”
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Reader Service #116
Let’s Get Started The following categories will help you get started writing your own store manual. These are suggestions. You can include as much or as little of this information as you see fit. You may also have other items you want to include in your manual. Once again, this is your manual, the presentation should reflect your business philosophy. The National Dipper
May/June 2021
