Conducting Policy Review

Part of the HR job is to fill in all employees on company policy regarding sexual harassment, sick time, overtime, vacation requests or anything else related to the company and make sure each employee signs a legally binding acknowledgment of the review. One of the worst things that can happen in an HR job is when a company employee does or says something against company policy and then defends themselves by saying they didn’t know they were in the wrong. The website Employer-employee.com recommends a yearly company policy review process as part of the HR job to ensure that all employees, new or old, stay up to date on what is acceptable in their workplace.

Part of the HR job is scheduling a meeting to review company policy. Meetings are the fastest way to reach the most company employees. Before the meeting, make sure that all company policy has been reviewed by an attorney and is in keeping with local and federal laws. As many HR representatives as possible should attend each meeting to oversee that everything runs smoothly and that all questions are answered. The HR job in this case is to ensure that each employee understands what standard of conduct is being asked of them.

One of the best ways to get your policy points across is through video or PowerPoint presentations. Most employees will lose focus or not understand what an HR representative is saying if they are simply being read policy from a manual, though it is important to read the policy in its entirety. Games, activities and role-playing are also recommended to help employee understand company policies.

At the end of the policy meeting, have all employees sign a form acknowledging that they have been informed of company policies and understand them. This signature is important because it prevents them from using the ”I didn’t know” excuse later. If anyone has further questions about the policies covered in the meeting, be sure to make an HR representative’s contact information available.

Another important step in the HR job is to post written versions of corporate policy around the office for employees to refer to later. It may seem redundant since the employees have already been told, but people often forget details that can get them into trouble later. If you have employees in the company whose first language is not English, it is the HR department’s job to post company policies in languages that those employees can read and communicate in. That posted document should also have an HR representative’s contact information so that employees may report breaches in company policies.