Free Policy and Procedure Template

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you think employees look at those new policies and procedures you send them, you’re only just thinking. How do you know for sure? Sure, some employees have enough time and interest to read through the documentation, but even within that group, how many pay attention to the changes that matter most?  With a simple questionnaire, you can make sure they do… READ MORE

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

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

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

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