Work Place Policies and Outline - Essay Example

Work Place Policies and Outline Work place policies refer to a set of rules and guidelines formulated by a firm to achieveits future goals. They are published in a policy manual and availed to all employees to read and follow them faithfully. The policy manual covers the general categories of acceptable work behavior such as proper dress code, professional etiquette and work procedures. It also addresses specific areas that are unique to the firm. Companies regularly update their policies and inform the employees through circulars, notices and posting them in the intranets. This paper will address the importance of workplace policies and how organizations can ensure that its policies are effective. The limitations of policies will also be addressed. Good policies are explicit and clearly state the content, what is acceptable what is against unacceptable and to whom the policies apply. The policies also indicate the disciplinary action against any employee who breaks them. Good policies are written in a simple language and avoid jargon so that all employees understand them. A policy gives the employer discretion in policy implementation and the basis of that discretion is also outlined in the policy manual. A good policy enables a worker understand how he can comply with the policy and repercussions for non-compliance (Frederick & Crittenden, 33). Therefore, a comprehensive work policy sets out the purpose of the policy, explains hoe the policy was formulated and identify to whom the policy applies. The policy also identifies acceptable and unacceptable behavior, consequences for breaking the policies and continuous updates the policies to reflect the current conditions of the organization. Policies are not effective unless they are explained in details to all employees including part-time and casual laborers. The employer should explain in details what the policies are for and the consequences for non-compliance. Moreover, when policies are revised, they should be communicated to all employees to increase their effectiveness. Courts and labor tribunals dismiss cases of employee breach of workplace policies if the policies were not clearly communicates to employees or were not consistently applied to work methods (Kirchhoff & Bruce, 40). When I joined the bank where I was interning, I was taken through a one week induction and training program. I was taken through the bank’s policies in details. I was also given a policy manual to read at my own time and sign a written document that indicated that I had read the policies satisfactorily and I fully understood their implications and consequences. The trainers explained why the bank had policies and the importance of understanding each policy and applying it to my work. Workplace policies are critical in maintaining uniformity at work. Policies create uniformity in employee rights and responsibilities. Clear policies reduce confusion and varying personal standards by employees. For example, the dress code defines what is acceptable in the organizations. The code lays down how every employee should dress, what clothes to wear, what colors are acceptable, appropriate make-up and hair styles. This ensures that there is no confusion as to what clothing are acceptable and what not to wear to work. I worked for a bank that was very conservative and was strongly rooted in the community (Hofer & Schendel, 19). The dress code was therefore strict and clearly defined what was acceptable to work. If an employee broke the dress code, they would simply be sent back to wear acceptable clothing. The dress code did not allow bright colors, short sleeve shirts, wild hair styles and huge jewelry. This ensured that any disciplinary action taken against an employee is justified and called for. The policies ensure that only best practices are implemented. Over time, the company identifies decisions and actions that produce best business results. These form the best practices and are documented in the policy manual so that all employees follow them to standardize work and produce quality work. Some policies basically direct an employee to act in accordance to what benefits his department or the entire organization (Kaptein, & Schwartz, 15). For example, in my former work place, we had policies that defined how we treated our customers. The policies defined how a staff could interact with customers using established methods that proved to be success over time. The policies defined that a customer had to be greeted and addressed by their name. There were procedure for serving customers that ensured that customers got the best customer service and experience. Policies ensure safety of workplaces because they address the legal and ethical safety issues for employees and the entire organizations. By outlining the acceptable legal and ethical behavior, from engaging employees are discouraged from engaging in activities that will result to trouble and create an unsafe work environment for others (Glueck & William, 53). Policies ensure employees’ personal safety especially for those employees who deal with plants and machinery, work in dangerous places that contain chemical substance or work in areas where fraud is rampant such as banks and other financial institutions. Strong policies and procedures related to employee safety prevent accidents and bodily injury. Furthermore, policies that increase workplace safety prevents business exposure to legal liability and medical expenses and compensation to employee who suffer temporary or permanent injuries from work related injuries. To increase the effectiveness of policies, senior management support is required. The managers should lead by example, by following through the policies and encouraging employees to refer to policy manuals in their work. Policies that relate to workers behavior have more impact if they are signed by the chief executive officer (CEO) of the organization. In my work experience polices addressing workplace harassment were signed by the CEO to enforce the seriousness of the content. The CEO also endorsed policies that stated that the company was an equal opportunity employer to encourage all members to take the policies seriously (Glass, Jennifer & Finley, 24). All managers must be briefed of policy content, their role in policy implementation and consequences for breach. Consultation with employees is essential for some policies in order to seek their support for the policy. Internal procedures should also support polices to increase their effectiveness. All polices must be examined to identify the actions needed to support them. Policies however have limitations that make them undesirable in workplaces. The main criticism is that they discourage creativity and reduce problem solving capacity. A company with formal procedures for resolving problems and internal disputes doesn’t stretch workers imagination. The procedures followed to do work limit workers creativity and hinder innovation. Policies discourage employees from breaking laid down rules and deny them autonomy to use their imagination to improve work methods. It also consumes time for a change to be made within an organization since this involves policy revision (Glass, Jennifer & Finley, 37). Delay in implementing changes especially changes that relate to work methods and core business operations can demotivate workers, reduce their efficiency and decrease the company’s productivity. Policies define the hierarchy of authority and protocols to be followed in decision making. This denies managers from making quick rational decisions to seize market opportunities that will improve the business. Conclusion Policies are a set of rules and guidelines formulated by a firm to achieve its future goals. A comprehensive work policy sets out the purpose of the policy, explains how the policy was formulated and identify to whom the policy applies. It identifies acceptable and unacceptable behavior, consequences for breaking the policies. Policies are important because they ensure uniformity within the organization, ensure work safety and best practices are implemented. To increase effectiveness communication is key. Furthermore, top manager should endorse policies and internal procedures should support them. The disadvantage of policies is that they limit creativity and reduce problem solving capacity in organizations. Work Cited Frederick, William Crittenden. Business and society: Corporate strategy, public policy, ethics. McGraw-Hill Companies, (2008): 13-57 Glass, Jennifer L., and Ashley Finley. "Coverage and effectiveness of family-responsive workplace policies." Human resource management review 12.3 (2002): 313-337. Glueck, William F. Business policy: Strategy formation and management action. McGraw-Hill, (2002): 47-68 Hofer, C., and Dan Schendel. "Strategy formulation: Analytical concepts. West series in business policy and planning." St. Paul (2008): 17-25 Kaptein, Muel, and Mark S. Schwartz. "The effectiveness of business codes: A critical examination of existing studies and the development of an integrated research model." Journal of Business Ethics 77.2 (2008): 111-127. Kirchhoff, Bruce A. "Organization effectiveness measurement and policy research." Academy of Management Review 2.3 (2007): 347-355. Read More