HR
6 HR Policies and Procedures You Need to Know
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Feb 23, 2023
Working to establish human resources policies across small- and mid-sized brands can be complex. Your staff is the most important company resource you have — which is why the importance of people-centered policies and innovative processes can’t be understated.
Keeping clarity, efficiency, and humanity at the core of every HR execution is key to keeping your company culture present and thriving — which is where having standardized HR policies and procedures can help.
Read on to learn more about the basic HR policies and procedures you shouldn’t miss as a small- to mid-sized business.
1. Anti-discrimination HR policies and procedures
Discrimination can happen within any workplace at any time. Having policies in place to clearly define what constitutes discriminatory practices (and preemptively protect employees) is essential to the smooth functioning of your small- to mid-sized business. It is legally the duty of the human resources sector of the business to protect all team members, so taking a comprehensive and nuanced approach is a best practice for HR policies and procedures.
Areas of focus to consider in these specific HR policies and procedures may include:
- Ongoing protection of legally protected classes: Team members must not be discriminated against within any protected designation, such as disability, parental, national, pregnancy-related, or age-related statuses. They may also not be discriminated against if they have a specific sexual orientation or religious affiliation.
- Procedures for reporting violations: If discrimination does occur, HR must have a route to take for further action and disciplinary resolution. This process must be clearly communicated to employees and ought to be documented for total transparency across your organization.
- Continuous training to prevent violations: HR can collaborate with admin and operations members to facilitate ongoing training to prevent discrimination or violations before they occur. This can help to educate team members and promote a more team-forward workplace culture overall.
2. Recruitment: basic HR policies and procedures
Recruitment and talent retention is a core area of focus across HR departments. That’s why establishing an HR policies and procedures manual can be helpful in navigating any new employee onboarding processes as you grow and scale. This can include coverage for different elements of program growth, including any relevant employee referral benefits, subsequent programs, or retention initiatives.
3. Termination of employment best practices
Establishing a clear and employee-forward termination policy helps to instill confidence and competence across your organization. Termination doesn’t just include the actual process of team member removal — rather, it also encompasses the complaint escalation process, clauses that would make a team member eligible for termination (such as in a disciplinary situation).
4. Employee referral program policies
Employee referral policies can offer many benefits to your team members and prospects. Beyond keeping your members as engaged as possible, it can also connect you to high-performing talent for half of your cost and time spent. Having HR policies and procedures around this process ensures that you walk away with a candidate that’s a strong cultural fit and that all related processes remain as compliant as possible.
5. Sexual harassment HR policies and procedures
Sexual harassment is a serious issue in the modern-day workplace. However, transparent and clear policies can correct problems before they begin. Beyond addressing inappropriate behavior, sexual harassment policies can also empower those who have been victims — offering them a trustworthy reporting process and sufficient recourse to have a safe work experience. These policies also mitigate legal risk to the company, which can save significant costs in the event of a complaint. Harassment policies can be a matter of compliance as well, as many businesses are often required to have these basic HR policies and procedures in place by local and state governments. Taking the step to establish this early on better protects your company and supports a more inclusive and effective workplace culture.
6. Use of company property
Over the course of employment, your team will likely need to work on company devices and property. This can extend to computers, cell phones, printers, and other technology — all of which need a protective process to route back to the company at the termination of their employment. Having a section covering this in the HR policies and procedures manual can be helpful to walk employees through every step needed for tech management, organization, and return, and a path of recourse if and when maintenance is required. This preventative step can help you to maintain a greater degree of compliance at the end of the year or before a routine HR compliance audit; whichever comes first.
Outsource creation and management of HR policies and procedures
Looking to save time in your HR management steps? Connect with the team at Bambee today. You can work with a dedicated HR expert to hand off your small business HR tasks for just $99 per month. We look forward to supporting you!
