5 Easy Office Personnel Policies Why Personnel Policies Are Important Human Resources Personnel Policies & Procedures

Personnel Policies for the Staff of a Day Care Center Examples of Business Policies Why Have Personnel Policies & Procedures? Human resources staffs are tasked with keeping up-to-date personnel policies for the companies they work for. These policies govern how a business is run, from hiring and termination to policies for sexual harassment and forms of workplace discrimination. Personnel policies are given to new employees to review, and they are often asked to sign a statement saying that they read and understand the policies. Policies and procedures vary from company to company, but certain elements are common.

Training and Orientation

Once hired, employees typically go through an orientation and training process to learn about their new employer and how their job function fits into the overall goals of the business. During this time, employees may attend training sessions, shadow other employees, get assigned a mentor or participate in a virtual training session provided by the company. It's necessary to include training and orientation procedures in personnel policies so new employees understand and are prepared for their new positions.

Employee Benefits
Companies offer employees a diverse set of benefits, including everything from health, dental and vision coverage to short-term disability coverage, a 401k plan, life insurance, employee housing grants and tuition reimbursement. Some companies also work in conjunction with local businesses to provide discount cards and rates to their employees. Listing employee benefits within personnel policies informs employees about all the options the company offers.

Work Schedule, Breaks and Leave

Whether a company offers flexible schedules or employees work in shifts, personnel policies provide guidelines for when an employee should report to the office for work and when he should leave. Personnel policies also detail the rules for taking lunch hours and other breaks. These policies also include the procedures for calling in sick, information on jury duty and how time off for bereavement is handled.

Salaries and Pay Schedule

While employees at your company will likely have diverse salaries, including salary ranges or a salary scale in personnel policies, where applicable, will give employees an idea of how much money they can potentially make if promoted. Whether paid weekly, biweekly or monthly, employees should have written documentation that outlines their pay schedules. Include information about direct deposit if it's an option offered by your company.

Performance Reviews and Promotions

Employee performance reviews vary based on the company and industry, so your personnel policy should tell employees about the procedures your company follows. It should say when reviews take place and the methods used to conduct them. The policy should also explain what the reviews are used for and how they may affect promotions.

Terminating Employment
Personnel policies should state how employees or employers can terminate employment at a company. The policies will outline how much advance notice must be given and in what format, as well as information on severance packages, returning company keys and equipment and ending access to company records.

About Personnel Policies

Role of Personnel Policies
There are numerous laws and regulations which regulate the nature of the relationship between an employee (and volunteer, in the case of nonprofits) and his or her organization. They are intended primarily to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and equitably regardless of their race, creed, color or sexual orientation. They are intended to ensure that the treatment of employees and volunteers is based primarily on their job performance. Common types of activities guided by the laws and regulations are, for example, hiring and firing, benefits and compensation, affirmative action, rights of privacy, discrimination and harassment, and wrongful termination. One of the fastest growing types of lawsuits brought by employees against their organizations is wrongful termination of employment. Other common types of lawsuits are in regard to allegations of discrimination and harassment. It is far better for organizations first to ensure that these types of improper types of behaviors do not occur, than to have to defend themselves in courts of law. The best way to ensure occurrence of proper behaviors is to enact comprehensive guidelines regarding how employees and volunteers are treated in the workplace. These general guidelines are called personnel policies. Specific sequences of activities resulting from the guidelines are often called procedures. Note the difference between operational policies and personnel policies. Operational policies are to guide how employees conduct the activities of the organization, ranging from how a client joins a program to making sure the coffee maker is unplugged at the end of the day. Operational policies are not about the nature of the relationship between the employee or volunteer and the organization.

Developing Personnel Policies

Each organization should carefully consider what policies it requires and how they should be worded. When developing policies, always consult an expert who is very knowledgeable about federal, state/provincial and local laws regarding employment practices. For example, in the USA, consider the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992, and Occupational Safety and Health Acts. In Canada, some major employment laws are Employment Insurance Act, Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security Act, Canada Labour Code, etc. Personnel policies might also be governed by union rules or other contractual agreements. Many organizations develop their policies first by closely reviewing policies of organizations with similar programs and services. While that practice is a good start, you still should have an authority on employment practices review your policies. Finally, in the case of corporations, the Board should formally approve the policies and the approval should be documented in Board meeting minutes.

Sample List of Personnel Policies

The following is a sample list of policies. Consider the following list to get an impression of some of the major policies in an organization. This list is by no means definitive for every organization. The policies developed by an one organization depend on the nature and needs of the organization.

Work Schedule
Work day hours Lunch periods Holidays Vacation Sick Time Personal Leave Leave of Absence Severe Weather Jury Duty

Hiring Procedures
Americans With Disabilities Act Interviewing job candidates Checking references Offering employment

New Employee and Internal Orientation

New employee orientation -- general information Agency-wide new employee orientation Intern orientation New employee and internal orientation checklist

Compensation
Paydays Overtime and compensation time Classifying employees as exempt or non-exempt Salary ranges Positioning pay within a salary range Maintaining competitive salary information Reclassifying positions Salary review policy Promotional increases Withholding salary increase due to performance Withholding salary increase due to leave of absence

Payroll Information & Timekeeping Procedures

Payroll information -- General Payroll information -- Direct deposit procedures Payroll information -- Required and voluntary payroll deductions Timekeeping -- General discussion of non-exempt and exempt employee classifications Supervisor's signature

Benefits
Eligibility and general information Types of available benefits Medical insurance Dental insurance Disability insurance Supervisory communication Life insurance Confidentiality note Retirement plan Social security Employee advisory resource

Workers' Compensation Information and Procedures

When there is an injury or accident on the job What is covered under Workers' Compensation Type of injury covered by Worker's Compensation Insurance Medical expenses resulting from a work-related injury Resources available

Performance Assessment Procedures

Performance assessment cycle Performance assessment process Dealing with performance issues Discipline: when the positive approach does not work Separation from employment checklist Communications by the supervisor regarding personnel issues COBRA (Consolidated Budget Reconciliation Act) Leave-taking procedures

Financial Management
Budget management Capital expenditures Supervisor's responsibilities in maintaining the budget Operating management Financial reporting

Supplementary Information
Discrimination or sexual harassment complaints Complaints regarding programs or staff

Data Practices
Policy Procedures Definitions Security of Records External releases Internal releases

Use of data Legal procedures Destruction of records Staff access

Training on Policies
If employees or volunteers (in the case of nonprofits) behaviors do not conform to the written personnel policies for your organization, and if an employee or volunteer sues your organization, then courts will consider your written policies to be superseded (or replaced) by your employees or volunteers actual behaviors that you appeared to be permitting to occur. For example, if policies specified that employees should not discriminate on the basis of race, creed or color, yet there was a history of your employees clearly discriminating against other employees on that basis, then courts will conclude that your policies are to permit discrimination. Therefore, it is critical that employees and volunteers have clear understanding of each personnel policy and that their behaviors conform to those policies. The best way to accomplish that understanding if for employees and volunteers to be trained on the policies and for their supervisors to always be sure that policies are followed. Training about policies can be carried out by ensuring that: All employees and volunteers receive an orientation that includes overview of the policies and procedures. All employees and volunteers sign a document that indicates that they have reviewed the policies and will act in accordance with them. Supervisors regularly issue reminders to employees and volunteers about key policies. All supervisors themselves act in accordance with the policies. Any violation of terms of the policies is immediately addressed with reprimand or termination of the employee or volunteer, depending on the nature of the violation.