Policies – Primarily

As organizations subscribe to PolicyPrime, we are seeing a variety of policy formats. Some are simple and straight-forward, others are complex and must be quite difficult to update.

Here are some thoughts that may assist you in creating a layout that communicates clearly as well as lends itself to easy updates. Remember your goal is a policy format that facilitates finding and understanding the appropriate policy or procedure. Read the rest of this entry »

Some courts and many employees believe your written policies create binding obligations to your employees. If your policies are poorly written, ambiguous or incomplete, your employees may have a legitimate cause for litigation when you don’t follow the policies to the letter.

For example, if your manuals contain unconditional promises that are not fulfilled, be prepared to face lawsuits by former employees trying to enforce those promises later. Read the rest of this entry »

MicroGuide created an example tanning salon policy and procedure web site using our product, PolicyPrime. We gathered sample documents from information available on the web. The example tanning employee manual that we found had one very glaring error. In a section titled ‘Hiring and Orientation’ the following statement was made:

During the probationary period, the employee can be dismissed without notice, if in the opinion of the supervisor; he or she is felt to be unsatisfactory or unproductive.

Why is that a problem? The implication is that after the probationary period, an employee can no longer be dismissed without notice – probably not the intent of the policy writer.

A better statement might be:

During the probationary period, performance will be evaluated and a permanent hiring recommendation will be made.

Don’t let the language within your policy manual contradict your ‘at will’ employment statement.

Want to see the full tanning employee manual? Navigate to http://tanning-sample.policydocuments.com

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Every business with more than one employee should have an employee manual.  The manual becomes a resource for training new employees, for answering questions about employment expectations, and to ensure compliance with regulations. With clearly defined procedures in place the chance of miscommunication is reduced, constancy and compliance are improved. A clear and unambiguous employee manual helps to prevent misunderstandings and protect the company from employee lawsuits. It differs from a procedure manual in that it covers issues relevant to every employee rather than addressing the specific procedures required to carry out a job function. For example, the dress code would be part of an employee manual, how to close the cash register at the end of the day would be in a procedures manual. Read the rest of this entry »