Q: Having worked with larger companies and being used to red tape, I was surprised that my current -and very small- new company has no written policies, employee manual or anything. Don’t get me wrong, I’m treated well, everyone seems happy (they have a “we are family” attitude) and the company runs a profit. Yet, I think they’re avoiding policies because it seems like a “lawyerly” move and they want to keep things friendly, but I wonder if they realize they’re taking a risk by not having written policies. Any suggestions?
A: “We are like family”. I hear that a lot from many small companies and entrepreneurs as a reason for not having policies, which presumably would dampen the employment relationship. Sure, having nothing in writing could work for a while, or as long as everyone lives happily together. But not having written policies is risky because sooner or later something will happen, –former employee files a false claim or a conflict between employees turns into harassment. That’s when you’ll wish you had a written attendance policy, or a complaint procedure policy to help defend you.
I completely understand why employee and policy handbooks are often seen negatively by both employers and employees. They are usually written with a “Thou Shall Not”, finger-wagging-tone focusing on what’s “prohibited” or worse, written in impersonal legalese. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The company can choose to have their policies positively stated in a voice that sounds real. In fact, employees who understand what’s expected of them and what they can expect from the company –who don’t have to worry that they’ll be treated unfairly, or that they’ll unwittingly mess up– are then free to focus on doing their very best at their job. So yes, I’m a strong advocate for written policies. When they are thoughtfully written, they’re good for people and good for business.
A couple of pointers:
Your policies should reflect your company culture. It’s okay to start off with a generic policy template, but then you should take the time to customize and choose words that are consistent with company goals and resonate with your values.
Have a like-minded employment attorney (or some other expert) review the final product. Sometimes adding a key word here and there can mean the difference between something being enforceable or not.
Eva Del Rio is a human resources consultant, columnist and creator of HR in a Box – tools for small business and startups under 49 employees. Send questions to Eva@evadelrio.com
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