The Keeley
Consulting Group recently conducted certain reviews regarding policy
development. It turns out that an organization needs to construct a clearly
defined and carefully written policy in order to ensure a convivial,
encouraging, organized, safe, and unbiased workplace.
Basically, a lot of us don’t like
an inconsistent and inconsistently applied policy. They often result in more
problems on top of the ones they were designed to solve. However, policies are
a vital part of any organization. They define the necessary guidelines for
companies to operate properly and influence the behavior of individuals to a
specific outcome.
Please consider the following tips
given by The Keeley Consulting Group
on how to develop new policies for your
organization.
First, see to it that there is a
policy on policies. We know that it sounds a little redundant, but it’s
necessary to work within a predefined and decided upon framework even if it
comes to policy formation. Probably the first and most important step in
maturing policies is to make a simple policy on policies that clarifies the
organization’s process for creating new policies. This policy should consist of
guidance about what situations constitute the need for a new policy, the format
that new policies should use, as well as the process that has to be followed
for a new policy to be approved. There’s a high possibility that you’ll have a
major inconsistency in the outcomes and inconsistency in the creation if you
don’t have a process and framework around policy formation. This could also
result in poor or difficult enforcement.
Second, identify any overlap with
existing policies. You must check thoroughly if the policy you’re planning to
create already exists or it parts of it exists in other policies before you
create a new policy. If that’s the case, consider revising existing policies
instead of creating a new one.
Third, don’t create the policy in a
vacuum. The Keeley Consulting Group
suggests that policies should be developed with input from those that will be
affected by them rather than sitting behind your desk and make policy that you
felt were necessary and that were developed wholly on your own. It’s important
that all stakeholders be heard to reduce the possibility for accidental
consequences, even though the final policy may ultimately not reflect all
opinions. Policies must certainly be complete and added opinions can help close
any gaps that may exist.
Fourth, step back and think about
the need. Please remember that you should create policies when there is a clear
need and a clear problem to solve, not just because someone did something you
didn’t like. According to The Keeley
Consulting Group review, some policies were put into place out of spite and
as vengeance, and this kind of activity wouldn’t happen in a sensible
organization. It won’t also happen in a firm that has a strict policy on
policies, as the policy will often go through multiple levels for approval.
Fifth, make use of the right words
so there will be no misunderstandings. Make sure that you’ll use simple and
specific terminology because policies should be easily understood to be
effective. We provided below some important pointers:
- Use the words “must” or “will”
instead of “should” in the body of the policy. If something is optional, use
the word “should” but not when it’s a requirement.
- Use a department, office, unit,
or job title rather than an individual’s name.
- Contact emails need to be a
general department address or a web page that gives additional contact
information. Please avoid using an individual’s email address in order to avoid
the policy from needing updates when personnel changes happen.
- Don’t underline subheadings or
words that need to be stressed in a sentence. Instead, set subheadings in bold
or italics if a word has to be stressed. If the policy is posted online,
underlined words could be mistaken for hyperlinks.
Sixth, include an exceptions
process whenever possible. In most cases, there is an exception for every rule.
It’s much easier to identify how an exceptions process is to operate in advance
before the policy is implemented. Please be aware that exceptions have to be
granted in a manner that is just and reasonable. The entire policy might be
called into question if you were careless with the exceptions process.
Seventh, allow some shades of gray. The Keeley Consulting Group believes
that some policies have to leave a little ambiguity for people to create
decisions. It’s okay if your policy leaves a little bit of gray so that an
individual can make an on-the-fly decision.
Eighth, define policy maintenance
responsibility. Most policies require regular review to ensure their continued applicability.
Make sure that you always identify the office that is responsible for the
policy because someone needs to be able to provide clarifying information when
questions are raised about the policy. Do not identify individuals since they
come and go.
Lastly, set up a policy library
with versioning. Nowadays, there are several tools that enable you to store
different versions of documents. All employees should be able to access all
appropriate policies all the time. Versioning may also help individuals to see
the history of the policy to track what has changed over the years.
If you have further question about
this matter, please visit this link for additional information provided by The Keeley Consulting Group.