[SOLVED] Write a Policy

How to Write a Policy. The Only Guide You Need to Read!
The ultimate dream of every entrepreneur is to expand his or her business.
However, the larger your company grows, the more difficult it becomes to ensure that employees carry out their duties effectively and in line with the goals of the organization.
Your employees don’t just need rules and guidelines to follow; they need to be constantly reminded of these rules so they don’t deviate. They also, in turn, need constant reassurance that the company has their best interests at heart.
Let’s be real: You can’t accomplish all that without some kind of help. This is where the need to create policies comes in.
Every organization needs policies to guide its affairs. However, developing a policy is not as simple as it might seem. There are a lot of things you need to do when creating one.
Here you have an article to simplify the process of writing a policy. When you reach the end, you will not only know how to write an effective policy to aid your business management, but you will be all set to implement it.
INTRODUCTION TO “POLICY”
To properly develop or write an effective policy, familiarize yourself with some basic concepts and vocabulary.
You need to know what a policy is, why you should create one, the pros and cons of having a policy, what good policy looks like, and your responsibility as a policy owner.
This knowledge gives you a clear picture of what developing a policy entails and prepares you for the task ahead. So, let’s start from the very beginning.
What exactly is a Policy?

A policy is simply a document that contains instructions that determine how things are done in your organization.
It clearly defines modes of conduct, reflects the organization’s values, and determines the cultural structure of your organization.
Your policy is your organization’s action plan. It serves as a guide to influence the decisions you make. It also serves as your employee’s go-to book for office behavior and work ethic.
It is important to note that policies differ from one organization to the next. The content of a policy depends on the mission and objectives of your organization.
Now that you know what a policy is, the next important question is, “Why is it necessary to create a policy for my organization?”
Why create a policy?
There are several compelling reasons to learn how to write a policy.
⦁ It is the medium through which your organization’s plans, rules, and aspirations are made known to all members of staff.
⦁ A ⦁ policy manual is the first official document an employee should be given immediately when they are hired. In this way, your employees become fully acquainted with the core values of the organization and its goals and objectives. This, in turn, increases productivity.
⦁ With a standard policy in place, management becomes less stressful. Employees follow the policy rules, unnecessary mistakes and misunderstandings are averted, and the organization runs smoothly.
⦁ A policy ensures that decisions are made fairly, whether they concern individuals or the organization as a whole.
⦁ A policy could be a means of ensuring that your staff becomes loyal to you and stays that way, especially if your policy sends the message that human resource management and staff benefits are very important to your organization. Employees are more likely to be loyal and eager to work when they know they are respected and appreciated.
⦁ A policy statement ⦁ doubles as a legal document. It states clearly the employee-employer relationship, putting both the interests of the organization and its employees into consideration. It also clearly states the rights as well as the duties of your organization and its employees.
You now have some background on how important it is to create a policy for your business. Before we go into how to write a policy though, here’s another important question we should answer: “Is a policy all positives without any negatives?”
The pros and cons of writing a policy.
Just like just about everything one can think of, a policy has its advantages and disadvantages. Let’s start with the positives.
Pros
1. Give little or no room for errors
A policy presents a uniformed way of doing things. Without a policy, employees might conduct themselves in whatever manner they find pleasing. With the wrong attitude and approach towards work, a lot of errors might occur – which could affect the organization negatively.
Having an effective policy in place saves you this pain.
2. It encourages employee accountability
A policy sets the standard for the way things should be done and what the organization expects from its employees. This makes it easier to hold employees accountable for their actions. Therefore, when employees flout the rules, they cannot give ignorance as an excuse.
3. It doubles as a training manual for new staff members
The best an employer can do when they get a new employee is to spend hours with the newbie, making sure they get acquainted with the working environment and get properly onboarded.
After this period, the policy manual becomes a reminder of what the new employee has learned. The employee can refer to the necessary details as needed.
4. Policies empower an organization’s employees
With a well-defined policy in place, employees are empowered to do what is right. It gives employees room to carry out their activities freely as long as it is within the boundaries already put in place through policies. This also limits the number of managerial checkups.
Cons
1. It might not allow for creative thinking
Creating a set of rules which employees must follow strictly might hamper their creativity. When employees feel they can’t bend the rules or takes chances, your company might miss out on a hunch that could lead to something new and profitable for the business.
Employees who do not see the need for change can have a negative effect on business growth.
2. It could be interpreted in various ways.
It is always advised to write a policy in clear and simple terms. This is because employees might give individual interpretations of the policy, which might be different from what you intended to pass along. This could lead to misguided actions that may affect the organization adversely.
3. It needs to be updated regularly
To keep up with changes within the organization, policies have to be updated regularly. Imagine spending hours on the not-so-fun task of writing a policy. Now imagine having to do that regularly – seemingly valuable time you could spend on other things.
Notwithstanding the cons of creating a policy, it still has to be written for the effective management of your business. The benefits of having policies in place definitely outweigh the cons.
Since that is settled, what do you think a good policy should look like?
Characteristics of a good policy
You know your policy is good when it has the following qualities:
⦁ It is written in simple terms and clear language.
⦁ It has well-defined procedures. The procedures should clearly indicate how instructions in the policy should be carried out.
⦁ The policy takes into consideration the benefits of the employees, making sure the rules are fair.
⦁ It is ⦁ easy to understand so that employees can easily adhere to the rules.
⦁ It isn’t totally restrictive. Where possible, your policy should present the employees with options. Making people choose gives them a sense of ownership. (NOT GOOD ADVICE! YOUR POLICY SHOULD BE RESTRICTIVE! THERE SHOULD BE BUT ONLY ONE WAY TO INTERPRET THE POLICY. THERE SHOULD BE NO OPTIONS, ONLY ONE WAY, THE WAY THAT YOU SET OUT IN THE P&P. THERE IS NO ISSUE OF CHOICE, EXCEPT WHETHER THE PERSON WANTS TO STAY EMPLOYED AND FOLLOW THE POLICY. THE ONLY OPTION IS TO FOLLOW THE POLICY AS STATED OR MOVE TO ANOTHER ORGANIZATION.)
These are the qualities of a good policy, and you must always keep them in mind when writing one.
However, a policy should not be confused with other related terms or concepts. It is important to know what differentiates a policy from these other concepts.
Policy vs. procedure
The terms “policy” and “procedure” are usually used interchangeably. However, they are two entirely different things.
A policy clearly states what the management of your organization expects from its employees, while a procedure is a detailed description of how the instructions in your policy should be carried out.
So, while your policy states what should be done, the procedure describes how it should be done.

Do’s and don’ts of policy writing
When writing a policy, knowing exactly what to do and what not to do is very important to avoid unnecessary mistakes. Below are things you should and should not do:
1. Policies should be written in formats that are standardized

An important feature that every policy should have is that it must be easily read and understood. A standard writing format and writing style makes it easy for your employees to search the policy – its sections and subsections – and get whatever they need without difficulty.

2. It should be written by an expert familiar with the organization

There are different policies for different issues.

Your organization’s policy should be written by an expert who is well versed in the subject your policy focuses on. The expert should also be familiar with the goals of your organization, how it is run, and its processes at the time the policy is written.

3. Do not leave your employees out of the policy development process

Representatives of the staff should be present during the policy development process, especially at the beginning stage. Your employees will be much more receptive of the policy if they feel they played a role in the decision-making process. This creates a positive attitude throughout the organization.

4. Do not neglect policy review

Just as writing a policy is important, so too is reviewing it. Your organization’s policy should be reviewed regularly as changes within the organization occur.

With these basic rules in mind, it is time to consider the first steps to take after you decide your organization needs a policy.

 

Format of a policy document
The formatting style of your policy is very important. It plays a central role in determining whether or not your policy document can be easily read. The formatting tips below will help you in creating an effective policy:
1. Professional fonts
Since this is an official document; the fonts you use should be professional. It is generally preferable to use one that is regularly used – like Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Garamond, Times New Roman or Georgia.
2. Consistent font size
Generally, your font sizes should be ones that are easy to read. Maintain the same size for the whole policy document. Variations should occur only for headings, titles, and subheadings.
The ideal font size for writing policy is size 12, depending on the font. For headings, size 14 should be used. For the policy title, size 14 is okay. You can easily set your policy styles in most word processors and save a template for future use.
Note: the title is the name of your policy, while headings are used to name chapters in your policy.
3. Little or no colors
Colors are not a policy’s friend. You should avoid using them as much as you can. They make your policy document look unprofessional. Your policy document should be written in black fonts and the background should be white. You may, however, use colors (sparingly) to illustrate examples.
4. Appropriate spacing
To make sure that the document is easily understood, spacing is necessary. Paragraphs, sections, subsections and the like should be spaced apart carefully. This will prevent words from becoming clustered and help the reader group important sections in their mind.
Your policy is now well-formatted (if you’ve followed through to this point) and now easy to read, but our job is not done yet; your policy document must also be properly designed.
Design and layout of a policy document
Your policy needs a reader-friendly design and layout. Here are some tips that will help you achieve that:
⦁ Use plenty of white space.
⦁ The structure of your policy should make it easy for employees to quickly find the part of the policy that is important to them.
⦁ To effectively illustrate very important points, you should make use of ⦁ labels.
⦁ Create your policy with an ⦁ outline that will make it easy for you to make corrections in the future.
Now that you have a professional design and layout for your policy, what writing style should you employ to make this policy even better?
Writing style for a policy
Your writing style also determines whether or not your policy can be easily understood. Below are some style tips:
⦁ Your policy should be written clearly and in concise terms. It should not be written in the first or second person but in the third person, e.g. he, she and it.
⦁ To avoid constant review, do not include any data that might easily get outdated.
⦁ Select your words very carefully. You do not want your employees to feel they are being commanded. Imperatives such as “must” should be used sparingly. (BAD ADVICE, AFTER “Select your words very carefully”. YOUR POLICY IS A COMMAND! YOUR POLICY MUST CONTAIN IMPERATIVES, SUCH AS ‘SHALL’, ‘WILL’, ‘MUST’, ETC. IF YOUR EMPLOYEES GET THEIR FEELINGS HURT, SEND THEM HOME TO THEIR MOTHER AND ON TO ANOTHER JOB.)
⦁ If you need to include an acronym, you are to first spell out the words fully and then you can put the acronym in a bracket. e.g. the World Health Organization (WHO). Write a Policy Write a Policy Write a Policy  Write a Policy Write a Policy