The Enlightenment: Policies and Procedures.
(Article by Sonya Vukomanovic/Lawrence – TSRN Associate -17th November 2022)
https://www.tsrn.co.uk/news/
Whilst nattering over a pleasantly scented cup of Earl Grey with my friend the other day, it suddenly came to me. What Sonya, what came to you? I hear you cry.
You see something that happened to a friend touched me and has inspired me to write my little ditty below.
Tabby, (not her real name of course), started a new role within a company. Tabby was gabberflasted that her new employers had no policies or procedures. Our little kitten’s mood turned black, and she was bewitched by the whole lack of structure.
So, as you make your way to the photocopier with a mug of tea and a biscuit in your trouser pocket, reading this on your phone, I ask you this. Are policies and procedures something you have in place? Are they something you have discussed but just never really seriously considered? That biscuit in your pocket was designed, produced, marketed, and sold, and complained about. So, if your goal is success for your own packet of biscuits then implementing some guidelines might be the way to go. Anyhow, let us move on as this is a ditty regarding human resources and not a dark chocolate-covered primordial magical sales tool. Or are policies and procedures linked to sales outcomes?
Now, where was I…
Well, you see it goes like this. I know you will not want to hear this, but it is that time of year again. With the autumn trees shedding their last leaves, and Jack Frost arriving any minute now it is time to take stock. Yes, move away from the photocopier and head back to your seat because we are going to talk about procedures and policies.
Alas, I know it is something you might have been avoiding for some time. Are you sitting there on a rainy day praying?. Requesting that this modern fascination of all work tasks and work issues being accessible to all would disappear into the ether forever.
You might have thought I was going to talk about the big event coming up soon, my birthday. I mean Christmas, but no, no, it gets even more exciting than that!
So, back to my tail of woe: Tabby decided to go on a bit of a hunt, it was October but what she was searching for was not red. Well, the filing cabinet or shared folder could have been lost or stolen. But Tabby soon found out it just did not exist.
Our little black cat’s pursuit of finding the human resources manager also came to diddly squat. The poor soul had been off on sick leave for some time. Oh, dear. Or had she decided to run away after seeing the empty chasm of support before her?
You could look at Policies and procedures being a bit like the chicken and the egg conundrum. What came first?
Now, unlike myself and others who have seen the light that shines forth from these printed, sometimes laminated copies of wisdom. You may be wondering why my friend left her new role as fast as she could climb down the drainpipe. You might stop reading as the above is the last thing you want to implement this month, let alone in the next year.
Why do some companies seem to be swimming in policies and procedures? After all, you’ve been doing ok so far.
Well, if you get the Scottish shortbread out, I will make a fresh pot of tea and before long all will be revealed:
Procedures explain in plain English how certain tasks are done within your company. For example, how to ask for paid leave.
Design it and make it real!
Let’s pretend just for a moment that you run the design drawing office and you have managed to find two new designers fresh from university. You are looking forward to them joining your peaceful and fruitful residence tucked away deep within the eighth floor.
They arrive looking as excited as only a design engineer can look.
Could a folder containing expected timelines, how to name your drawings and your design system from beginning to end save you time? A folder of delights showing in plain English how the company works, its rules, and ethics. Listing whom to go to for what. Yes, an encyclopedia, a manual that shows your new design engineers Geoffrey and Colin how it all gets done, and quite a lot more besides.
In the sales and service department, a folder of procedures could detail among other things how to record customer complaints.
It could lessen the confusion But whatever you do, do not mix up which new employees are starting in which department. Lovely Veronica from the customer service section might not be the person you would want to design your new blended wing body for that subsonic travel contract you have just won from The Space Agency. And Melvin and Colin might not be happy dealing with customer complaints as the only time they had to deal with anything like that was when the Dungeons and Dragons club was banned from their university halls: Threatening to send a fire-breathing dragon from Morfaldore to student services did not go down well!
Humour aside, I think the message is beginning to sink in, is it not?
So, from one end of your empire to the other, policies and procedures could be the way to go. In the long run, they are, and should be, accessible to everyone and could save you time and money in meetings and therefore later issues.
The benefits of policies and procedures
Managers and work staff know exactly what is expected of them. Behaviour, equality, and ethics of the organization are a must and could make your staff shine brighter than your competitors.
There are many other advantages to implementing procedures and policies within your system. Firstly, they explain the system in its entirety and surely that is beneficial to everyone from the receptionist to the director.
Two advantages of having solid policies and procedures are:
Knowledge of best practices is maintained. Wisdom is kept within the company and can be passed on to new recruits. Thus, spanning the generations.
Keeping up to date with local or international guidelines and laws.
And finally: No matter how many departments, sites, and locations you have you can confidently know that everyone is singing from the same hymn book. Well, it is almost Christmas after all!
So, there we have it my little nutcrackers! With Yule Tide almost upon us maybe it is time to think about the above. And if you decide that you would like to find your company a new human resources manager, The Sales Recruitment Network will be more than happy to assist you in your quest for enlightenment and can be contacted at 01772 461894.
Now you can go forth into the dark months of winter. Yes, step into the light, knowing that the actions you have been trying to put off might just be the very undertaking that adds magical sparkle to what it is your company offers.
Article by Sonya Vukomanovic/Lawrence – TSRN Associate -17th November 2022
Find me here on Medium and here at The Sales Recruitment Network. And here for my Tiggy Sonya's Art, Music, Nature, and Book Patch
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