The fast-changing nature of employment law means that it’s imperative for any organization to have a comprehensive set of up-to-date HR policies and procedures established. These should aim to clearly and concisely set out the rights and obligations of employees, for those responsible for HR to administer and put into practice.
Establishing and writing your organisation’s HR policies and procedures can be a mine-field. It could be very easy to spend many hours writing and tweaking policies for your business – regardless of size. You only need to do a quick online search and you will find endless policy and procedure templates. However, if you are a smaller business, you don’t necessarily need all of these. We highly recommend only putting policies in place that are going to be used. Be sure to only spend time on writing meaningful policies that you require and are able to stand by.
There are a wide variety of HR policies which can be adopted. For example, if your business has five or more employees, then it is compulsory to have a written Health and Safety policy in place as well as Discipline and Employee Grievances. Additional policies such as Safeguarding, Parental Leave and other issues such as discrimination and equal treatment should also be dealt with. Having these HR policies incorporated into your business will give your employees a clear direction.
The Nursery HR People always advise clients that HR Policies should be dynamic, not static, in order to remain relevant. Policies are never finished and you must ensure that you regularly review your policies and procedures to ensure that they are up to date, reflect the needs of the business and reflect any legislative changes. You have to be prepared to add to them and sometimes, it is even worth deleting and starting again, just to ensure they address your organisation’s objectives and goals, as well as changing workforce trends, economic conditions and legislation.
We would highly recommend that you establish systematic checks of the following HR policies over regular periods: –
- Employment contracts
- Holiday leave, sick leave, compassionate leave, maternal/paternal leave
- Personal conduct
- Safeguarding
- Attendance and time keeping
- Bullying
- Discrimination
- Discipline
- Termination
There are a few other HR policies that you should also consider to ensure consistency within your business.
For example:
- Personal e-mail / Internet Usage
- Alcohol/Drugs in The Workplace
- Dress Codes
- Data Protection
- Expenses
- Smoking
We would point out here, that there are no legal guidelines for these policies and therefore, they can be designed around the needs of your business.
If you ensure regular monitoring of your HR Policies and Procedures, you can have peace of mind that the major policies are already in place so you only need to refresh them when required. Once reviewed and rewritten, it’s down to HR to help managers put them into practice, and communicate them to staff.
We have written previous posts on the HR Policies and Procedures and the importance of an Employee handbook, some of which can be found here: –
Why you should have an Employee Handbook for your Nursery
https://www.thenurseryhrpeople.co.uk/human-resources/employee-handbook-nursery/
What Employment Policies and Procedures Should I Have In My Nursery?
https://www.thenurseryhrpeople.co.uk/policies-procedures/employment-policies-procedures-i-nursery/
At The Nursery HR People, we are qualified HR Professionals with CIPD accreditation. Our service offers access to Early Years specific HR policies and procedures which meet employee law and Ofsted requirements, updated all year round to reflect any legal changes. You never need to check or worry that your policies are out of date as we can manage all of this for you.
Please do get in touch if this service is of interest, or if you have any questions or comments. We do love to hear from you and are more than happy to assist.
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Sara Smith
Marketing Director
01509 833121
Less HR More Learning!