What makes an effective company policy?

There is a lot to consider when creating company policies - what are they for and why are they important? How do they affect your business and employees?  Which processes and procedures need a policy?  Should you use a template or start from scratch?

The most important thing is that your policies should be a true reflection of how your business operates.  This means you can use them to help induct new starters, easily spot when they are or aren’t being followed, and ensures that your team will understand and use them effectively.  In essence - your policies are about making it clear how you want things to be done - and they also serve as a really positive way to state your intentions and help to keep you legally compliant.

Whilst the number of policies you need will vary from company to company, there will be some core policies that all businesses should consider - these will be around HR, equality and diversity (EDI), and the environment (ESG).  Depending on your specific business you may wish to develop further policies to cover processes such as how you communicate as a team, crisis / emergency planning and how you deal with clients and pitching for new work.

It is important to remember that no two policies are the same - although you may find it useful to follow a simple format for each document, ensuring you cover the introduction (why is there a need for this policy?), the process (the detail of the procedure you are talking about), roles and responsibilities (ensuring everyone knows which part of the policy they are accountable for) and your review provisions (most policies should be reviewed and updated annually).

We have experience in writing, reviewing and developing a huge range of company policies so please get in touch if you’d like a chat about how we can help.