Have them?  – Great!  When is the last time you’ve updated them?  

Don’t have them?  Hmmm, ok.  Why not?  

Don’t have them but want them?  Hmmm, ok but why?

You should never have HR policies for the sake of having them.  And if you have policies that aren’t reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date with changing laws, you may be doing yourself more harm than good.

So why have HR policies? Policies assist with setting the expectation for all employees, ensures consistency, assists managers with meeting company expectations, covers the company from a compliance standpoint, and supports the organization should a claim be filed against the company.  

I’ve seen three types of companies when it comes to HR policies:

1. Don’t have HR Policies but want them

Ok, I’ve bought in. I’ll search for a few on the internet, and we’ll be done. 

Sure, that works too but I would recommend that you have an HR professional write the policy so that it’s not only compliant but that it has the voice of your company and speaks to what your teams already know.  You should never lose your company’s voice and culture in a boring, drawn out, vanilla policy or procedure.

2. Have HR policies and update regularly

We have them. Thanks for the reminder! We’ll knock the dust off and have everyone sign off that they have reread them and still understand they are responsible to follow them.  

This route may be ok if you can answer the following two questions: 

• Do your current policies still comply with federal, state, and local law?
• Do your policies speak in your company’s voice, not losing who you are as a team in a boring, drawn-out document?  

If your policies are ancient, it’s time to update them to today’s laws and to make them exciting and easy to understand so your employees will want to review and follow them.

3. Don’t have HR policies and don’t need them

I don’t want them and I don’t need them.  

I respect that too. However, I would also recommend that rather than rolling out an encyclopedia of documented policies and procedures, invest in the ones that will protect your company from a compliance standpoint or from a potential claim that may be filed against you (i.e., Equal Employment Opportunity, Code of Conduct, Workplace Health and Safety).  

HR Insights is well versed in the development of policies and procedures that are specific to your company’s culture and needs. Schedule a meeting to review or discuss which type of company you are, and the best way to be sure you have policies that meet HR compliance standards, and fit your needs.