Formality of policies
When introducing new or changing old policies is it important to formalise and document the policies in the organisation’s human resources, or other relevant, handbook. Formalising a policy removes doubt about what provisions are available to employees, while documentation in a central place (e.g. in a handbook or a dedicated internet site) makes it easier for employees to find information on policies.
It is recommended to limit the number of informal policies in an organisation. Informal policies are generally made available as one-off arrangements to accommodate unexpected situations for employees. While this could be helpful to a particular employee in the short term, there are some problems associated with informal policies, including:
- the informality of policies means that such arrangements are not publicised and many employees are not aware that they could negotiate such arrangements;
- staff can not plan ahead for the balancing of their work and family responsibilities;
- the ability of employees to negotiate certain arrangements can differ greatly depending on which manager they are negotiating with (e.g. willingness of manager to accommodate employee’s needs); and
- when managers are willing to accommodate such needs, the absence of appropriate information on how to implement certain policies might create an obstacle for managers to implement them consistently.
Apart from formalising and documenting policies, employees should have easy access to the handbook or intranet site containing the policies. In addition, the guidelines about the policies should be concise and clear, so all employees can easily understand their rights and responsibilities in relation to the available policies.
Last updated 21 July 2009
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