What hr policies is
HR policies are the written rules an employer sets for how employment works, leave, attendance, conduct, harassment, travel, notice, remote work and more, together with the procedures that apply them.
Some policies are required by law for certain establishments, such as a policy under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act; others are the employer's own choices.
Why it matters
Written policy turns individual decisions into consistent ones, and makes those decisions explainable. When a policy is challenged, the questions are what it said at the time, and whether the employee acknowledged it.
Common challenges
Policies nobody can find
A policy in a shared drive folder is effectively unwritten.
No versions
When policies change, the old wording is lost, along with what applied when.
No acknowledgement
Without a record that employees read a policy, it is hard to rely on.
The process, step by step
- 1
Decide
Settle the rule, including the edge cases.
- 2
Write
Plain language, with scope and effective date.
- 3
Publish
Where employees work, not only where HR works.
- 4
Acknowledge
Record who has read each version.
- 5
Review
Revisit on a schedule and when the law changes.
Best practices
- Version every policy and keep old versions.
- Record acknowledgement per version.
- Write the edge cases, because those are what get argued.
Mistakes to avoid
- Copying another company's policy without adapting it.
- Changing a policy without saying from when it applies.
- Assuming employees have read a policy because it was emailed.
How software helps
Policy software publishes the current version to every employee, records each acknowledgement against the version read, and keeps the history so the rule on any past date can be shown.
Questions about hr policies
Commonly leave, attendance, code of conduct, prevention of harassment, notice period, travel and expenses, and remote work. Some are legally required for certain establishments; the rest depend on how the company works.
Templates are a starting point. They should be adapted to the company's decisions and checked against the laws that apply to it.
Because relying on a policy later often depends on showing that the employee was given that version and confirmed reading it.
Some are, for certain establishments. For example, a policy under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act. Others are the employer's own choices.
When a policy changes without versions, the old wording is lost along with what applied when. Keeping old versions lets the employer show the rule on any past date.
On a set schedule, and whenever the law changes. Each change should state the date from which it applies.
No. Assuming employees have read a policy because it was emailed is a common mistake. Acknowledgement should be recorded against each version.
The rule in plain language, including the edge cases, its scope and its effective date. It should be published where employees work, not only where HR works.