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Free Policy and Procedure Template

 

ConvergePoint is committed to helping organizations improve their policy and contract processes — not only through our compliance management software, but also by offering free tools and guides.

Download the Free Policy and Procedure Template – Microsoft Word

Most companies use Microsoft Office, Active Directory, and Outlook so we’ve put together a handy policy and procedure Word template for your use. When you’re ready to take your policy management system to the next level, we can seamlessly migrate your documents to our Policy Management Software, keeping them in their existing formats, because our software is built on Microsoft SharePoint.

Understanding the Importance of a Well-Structured Policy Document

A well-structured policy document serves as a critical backbone to any organization, providing numerous values to its operational framework.

Firstly, it establishes clear guidelines. A well-structured policy outlines the acceptable standards of behavior within an organization, detailing what is expected from both employees and management. This clarity helps in preventing misunderstandings and conflicts, enhancing overall operational efficiency.

Secondly, it ensures compliance. Policies that are well-structured assist in ensuring that the organization operates within the confinements of the law and industry regulations. These policy documents mitigate risk by ensuring all stakeholders adhere to the appropriate legal and ethical standards.

Thirdly, it reinforces consistency. With clearly articulated policies in place, organizations can maintain consistency in their practices and procedures. This not only optimizes workflow but also facilitates fair treatment of all staff, regardless of their role or position.

Lastly, well-structured policy documents are key for onboarding and training. They provide new hires with a comprehensive understanding of their duties and the company's expectations, allowing for a smoother induction process.

Learn More: Policy Management and how software can help


At ConvergePoint, we understand these values implicitly. Hence, we offer our versatile and user-friendly policy and procedure template, designed to aid in creating effective, well-structured policy documents. When the time comes for upgrading your policy management system, we provide a seamless transition to our superior Policy Management Software, upholding the integrity of your original formats using the reliable foundation of Microsoft SharePoint.

 

Best practices – Improve Current Policy Management Processes

Policies, Processes and Procedures: Why You Need All 3

Businesses know that they need to have a system made up of policies, processes and procedures. Often businesses have issues discerning which is which or use the terms interchangeably, resulting in them lacking one of the elements. All three, however, are necessary to run a successful, organized business… READ MORE

10 Policies All Companies Should Have

When your business expands quickly, it can be hard to stay on top of policy creation and management. Sure, there may be quite a few unwritten rules that employees seem to be aware of and your organization just hasn’t gotten around to putting on paper yet, but those rules tend to cause more confusion than not. Just like the telephone game we played as kids, new rules heard “through the grapevine” are easily not shared correctly, misinterpreted and misunderstood… READ MORE

3 Crucial Responsibilities All Managers Have to Employees When It Comes to Policies

As a manager — no matter what your specific role within the organization or what size or type company you work for — you have three important responsibilities to your employees when it comes to policies and procedures: access, education and enforcement… READ MORE

Increase Employee Engagement by Involving Them in Policy Management

Businesses today know that attracting and retaining top talent are essential to a business’s livelihood — which is why employee engagement has become increasingly important.

Building employee engagement (and retention) starts from their first day at the office, when you introduce them to your company’s culture through sharing the company’s policies and procedures. A company’s policies give employees an immediate sense of what the company stands for — its values, business ethics and personality. In turn, sound policies reassure employees, giving them the confidence and security to work to their full potential… READ MORE

What Does a Learning Environment Look Like Within Your Company?

One of the best ways to improve employee retention is to not just train them initially, but constantly develop them by creating a work environment that fosters communication and learning. Both people and your company change over time, and if you’re looking to build long-term relationships, it’s important that you understand how each other is developing and you grow in the same direction — by constantly communicating your priorities and offering ongoing training… READ MORE

You Don't Have to Be a Large Organization to Have Great Policies and Procedures

Every time a discussion on policy and procedure management arises, there are always people in the room who think it applies to large enterprises only — and definitely not to them yet. Often, information and resources neglect the same needs for smaller organizations, but just because the organization is smaller to mid-size, doesn’t mean a policy and procedure management structure isn’t just as important… READ MORE

Policies and Procedure Management: Proactive vs. Reactive

Your employees’ knowledge of company policies and procedures makes all the difference when it comes to compliance and industry regulations. Polices and procedures are intended to serve as a reference guide for certain scenarios or situations. What happens when those scenarios actually take place and your employees don’t know what to do? Costly mistakes can be made and employee morale can be crushed, all at the expense of your company… READ MORE

3 Simple Steps to Better Policies and Procedures Management

Without policies and procedures management, no company can last. Policy and procedure management is the strong foundation established for a stable and successful future; therefore it is essential to have an effective policies and procedures process… READ MORE

Calculating the True Cost of a Policy or Procedure

Businesses are dynamic to meet the demands of the marketplace. We talk about mergers, acquisitions and subsidiaries as part of the common business dialogue, and we sometimes forget that it’s the compliance team that holds the seams of an ever-changing environment together. They are the force that guides corporate cohesion, by creating policies and procedures around operational and regulatory requirements… READ MORE

Addressing Challenges in Policy and Procedure Management

We’ve all sat in meetings, and more meetings, trying to hash out policy guidelines. It takes time. It takes multiple meetings. It takes dealing with different people from diverse areas both inside and outside the organization. It takes emailing back and forth after the meeting, and it can get confusing trying to keep track of it all. One thing that is imperative for policy management is being able to take all the pieces of information and keep them organized in one place… READ MORE

Policy and Procedure Management: You're Only as Compliant as Your Employees

Policies are put in place to ensure everyone is on the same page about their jobs, from how to take vacation and sick days to how to use equipment safely. Some policies can be seen as flexible, whereas other policies need to be upheld in order for companies to be compliant with local, state or federal laws. When distributing policies, it’s important to recognize which policy is which, because asking every employee to sign off on every single procedure is counterproductive… READ MORE

Policy and Procedure Changes: Engaging Your Employees

Although many companies hire compliance specific roles in their organizations to enforce regulations, they do not provide them with the tools for success that can increase their productivity. Instead, thousands of dollars are wasted due to factors such as…;READ MORE

Are Your Policies Centralized?

Businesses are dynamic and ever-evolving to meet the demands of the marketplace. We talk about mergers, acquisitions and subsidiaries as part of the common business dialogue, but we don’t often stop to think about the compliance team that holds the seams of an ever-changing environment together. They are the one central force that guides corporate cohesion by creating policies and procedures around operational and regulatory requirements… READ MORE

Policy and Procedure Management: Behind the Scenes

Every industry and business has certain regulations to follow and policies to implement for very different, yet equally important, reasons. The creation, distribution and acknowledgement of company policies and procedures ensure safety, act a reference guide and provide protection from the unknown… READ MORE

Preventing Data Breaches Starts with Creating and Training on Policies

The 2013 Target breach, 2014 Sony breach and other highly publicized security breaches have pushed the need for strong cyber-security to the forefront. Often, organizations are left vulnerable to cyber-criminals for a few reasons… READ MORE

Why Policy Management is Essential to Your Disaster Recovery Plan

Do your policies and procedures include a disaster recovery or emergency action plan? What happens when a natural disaster, power outage or other unplanned event occurs?

About 40% – 60% of businesses never reopen following a disaster, according to the Small Business Administration, meaning an emergency action plan plays an essential role in helping businesses recover and continue.

The first step in building a plan is to create policies for disaster recovery and then define detailed procedures for each policy… READ MORE

Are you ready to learn more?

Talk to one of our policy management experts today!