Anti-Bribery Policy: It demonstrates a company’s commitment to preventing bribery and corrupt activities, and all staff should be instructed to familiarize themselves with the information it contains. Code of Conduct: This policy lays out the company’s principles, standards, and moral and ethical expectations that employees and third parties are held to as they interact with the organization. Examples: Code of Conduct • Company’s values • Employee behaviours • Dress code • Leave policy • Conflicts of interest • Communication • Harassment • Confidentiality Ethics Escalation Policy: Process of allowing an employee or an interested party to report unethical conduct above and beyond their direct line managers. - Escalation process. - Communicated to appropriate personnel, e.g. Ombudsman. Equal opportunity policy and non-discrimination policies An equal opportunity policy (EOP) prevents companies from discriminating against job applicants or employees if they are a member of a protected class (e.g., race, gender, age, religion, familial status, colour). The EOP is essential for any anti-harassment, workplace violence, non-discrimination, or diversity policies your company may consider developing. Workplace health and safety It’s important to provide your employees with a safe and healthy work environment, especially since workplace health and safety violations can cause harm to your employees, cost your business money and damage your reputation. Your business should be proactive and write a health and safety policy that is designed for each workplace. For example, you might specify what employees should do in case of office emergencies or how to handle unsafe materials. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has guidelines on how to create a safe workplace and protect workers from occupational hazards that you can base your policy on. Attendance/ vacation/ time off policy Having a standard way to request a day off or take vacation leave will help things run more smoothly in the office. A PTO policy should outline how much time off employees receive, when and how they can accrue more time off, who they should contact to request their time off and anything else they may need to know about taking PTO (e.g., is vacation use-it-or-lose-it?). Other time off policies to consider creating include parental leave policies and bereavement leave policies. Employee disciplinary action A simple step-by-step list of what happens regarding disciplinary action can make it easy for employees to know what to expect if they violate a company policy. Describe a specific process you will follow to ensure every employee is treated fairly when it comes to discipline. Have a lawyer review this information before you include it in your employee handbook to make sure all disciplinary action is legal. Employee complaint policy Grievances are formal complaints your employees can file to document their concerns with an aspect of their workplace. These grievances might be filed as a result of an incident or conflict with a fellow employee. A grievance can be filed for nearly any reason, including physical workplace complaints, financial issues like payroll, and social circumstances like harassment or bullying. It’s important to outline a formal process for resolving complaints within your company so that employees know how to handle their concerns professionally. Privacy Policies– Protect employees, the company, and your customers by establishing a policy that encourages transparency and trust with your customers. Payment Policies – Determine the terms for customers and vendors to do business with your company. Set an acceptable amount of time for payment, and establish consequences when payment is overdue or not received. Confidentiality Policies – Protect sensitive information, and be sure to cover relationships with vendors, customers and other suppliers. Whistle-blower Policy – Make sure to have a no retaliation policy to protect your employees and the company. Employee Performance Policies – Define the role of every employee, including their level of responsibility, amount of authority for decision-making, overarching goals and specific tasks. Identify clear methods for monitoring performance and developing employees through training. Document and Records Retention Policies– Create structured policies for document retention and storage based on local, state, and federal requirements. Technology Policies – Establish what’s acceptable and what’s not in regards to the Internet, email, and social media usage for personal purposes at work. Policies Communication: - Annual appraisal - During induction of new employees - Distribution of the policy documents - Display of the policies at appropriate places like company gate, reception, conference room, manufacturing site, intranet, portal.
