The importance of HR policies

As an employer, ensuring that your workforce is clear on what’s expected of them in the workplace is vital for avoiding any potentially legally compromising situations. It is vital therefore that you create clear policies that communicate these expectations and make these available to employees in your contracts and documentation, such as an employee handbook.

Creating effective HR policy is not to be taken lightly as even a mere oversight could potentially leave your business vulnerable to a potential claim. To ensure that your policies are watertight and compliant with the latest Employment Law legislation and the ACAS Code of Practice, you should talk to a seasoned and qualified, HR and Employment Law professional.

At Croner we have over 80 years of experience in helping small to medium businesses, navigate the complexities of Employment Law, HR and Health and Safety legislation. Call us today and talk to a member of our expert advisory team.

Call 0808 501 6651.

What is a HR policy?

A HR policy is written guidance on how specific situations should be handled withing your organisation. They inform everyone at all levels in the organisation on the correct procedure and work towards creating fairness and consistency across your business. They can also protect your business in the case of any legal claims.

To ensure that any HR policy works effectively, you should present, communicate and implement in a consistent and clear manner.

Why should my business introduce HR polices?

In some cases, it is the law to have certain HR policies and procedures, for instance a Health and Safety policy is legally required if your organisation employs five or more people.

When it comes to disciplinary and grievance procedures in the workplace then there is certain legislation and procedures that must be followed to be compliant with legal frameworks and the ACAS code of practice.

HR policies can also be used to convey an organisations stance on a particular area or subject, for example a social media policy can outline whether an employee can access social media during work hours, etc.

To summarise good HR policies should:

• Comply with existing/new legislation and case
• Reflect existing legislation.
• Support the wider business strategy.
• Implement the most recent and effective people management practices.
• Help facilitate and deal with change within the business.
• Showcase compliance with parent company guidance and implement competitiveness within the industry sector.
• Help formalise approach and process to help facilitate business needs for growth.

What HR policies should my organisation develop and implement?

There are some policies that organisations must have in place, like Health and Safety, and there are some policies that can be implemented to improve things, such as employee retention.

To help you pick the right policies for your business you should consider the entire employment cycle and formulate policies around those key areas. Speaking to a qualified professional can help you ensure that the important, mandatory aspects of HR policy are covered, whilst offering advisories around other policies that your organisation should be implementing.

A good starting point for most organisations is to have the following policies:

Health, safety and wellbeing
Your people are your organisations biggest asset, and you have a duty of care legally to ensure their safety and wellbeing as an employer. This should be reflected in your Health and Safety policy. Whilst the nature of the exact content might vary on industry to industry, the core elements of this policy should outline your commitment as an employer to your employees’ safety and wellbeing at work.

Learning and development

Policies pertaining to learning and development should include procedure and information regarding courses, secondment and training and development and any costs, payments etc associated with these.

Reward
This policy can outline how your organisations reward structure is broken down, including things such as pensions, bonuses and other employee benefits.

Employee relations

This can incorporate a range of policies, including disciplinary, grievance, annual leave, statutory leave such as parental leave, as well as behavioural policies such as workplace bullying and harassment. Be advised diversity and inclusion should also formulate a big part of these polices to ensure that you remain compliant.

End of employment

Employment can end for several reasons, not all of them dismissal. Employees retire, resign and move on to other organisations and there is also redundancy, so it is important to prepare for all eventualities. A cast iron end of employment policy can help the transition in these processes become smoother and more efficient, whilst also protecting your business from a legal standpoint.

Note: There are other types of HR policy that may or may not be applicable to your organisation such as corporate responsibility. To ensure you cover all bases consulting with a professional HR advisor is highly recommended.

Reviewing HR Policies

You should periodically review your HR policies. This will ensure that you are legally compliant with the latest legislation in Employment Law and utilising the latest guidance and best practice.

Alongside this, regular reviews help your business identify if your policies are working and if they’re being adhered to correctly.

Need expert advice on HR policy and documentation?
Talk to a Croner expert HR advisor today. With 80 years’ experience, we can advise you on the latest changes to the Employment Law landscape including the Government’s Employment Rights Bill.

Ensure HR compliance for your business, call Croner today on 0808 501 6651