When you have people working for you, regulations and policies are essential. You need to enforce and communicate a set of policies and practices that reflect your standards of acceptable behavior. However, a successful system does more than draw boundaries; it also recognizes and addresses people’s unique needs. Everyone reacts differently, some people prefer the policies to be written, while others prefer to leave everything open to interpretation as situations arise. For regulations and practices to produce high levels of productivity, they must meet in the middle of both methods. Setting expectations and meeting them is the process of performance improvement. It’s not only about meeting specific goals, but also about how you achieve them. And the “how” affects the liabilities you create in the process. There are four key elements on the deployment and development of your policies and practices:
Rules
Employees and managers must understand what is and what is not acceptable behavior within the company. This is crucial as employers can be held liable for an employee’s poor behavior, especially when it affects other employees, individuals, or clients. In addition, stating clear and specific behavioral standards in the form of rules establishes a framework for spotting and addressing violations of those standards. If the rules aren’t properly documented, then violations become subjective and are open for interpretation. It is mandatory for both parties to have an equal understanding of the regulations and practices in placed.
Consequences
Any violations or misconduct may result in serious consequences. In hoping to prevent your employees from acting on bad behavior, It is fundamental to clearly state the impact of such actions. Also, as a manager, you must know ahead of time what employee actions require an immediate dismissal. Identifying performance issues that may qualify for a more progressive disciplinary approach and the steps involved in the approach is essential in the workforce. Not only does the employer need to make sure the employees know the consequences of such actions, but employers who violate any employment laws are also in serious trouble.
Roles
It’s understandable why people like to have a clear understanding of what their role is in a company as well as the roles of others. Every successful team has a well-defined position for its members; everyone knows what she or he is to do, how to do it and how their performance affects others. In the business world, this means that you need to know the structure, in other words, who’s in charge and how tasks are to be completed in the company.
Tools
Why are tools necessary? Tools are used to address the question of how you support the people in your company who manage other employees. Questions like, when faced with a particular personnel issue, what resources are available to employees? Do they have an employee policy guide or employee handbook? Are you giving them a clear directive on working with your human resources personnel or legal representatives? Are your resources available online? Tools like these are important not just to help avoid litigation, but to also minimize the time it takes for you to deal with people issues, aside from focusing on core business matters. Since many small businesses do not have the funds or resources to provide all these tools, they may resort to attorneys and HR consultants to address such issues.
Final Thoughts
Implementing regulations and practices are guaranteed to keep your employees safe within the workplace. Employers should ensure that their staff understands the rights of both parties to avoid being treated unfairly by one another. With the understanding of these regulations and rules, legal actions against employers will be prevented. To read more on these four key elements, visit “The importance of HR Policies and Practices Strategy”.
Source:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/76982