Organisational Policy and Procedures
What should be in your Workplace Dress Code Policy?
At the Policy Place we often get asked about whether organisations should have a Workplace Dress Code policy.
Codes typically involve a list of what not to wear. But how about a more fun Code. One that supports a commitment to equity and diversity, and individual styles and differences while setting some bottom lines.
Here are some ideas.
Workplace Dress Code – example provisions
- Dress to Impress: We want you to dress in a way that makes you feel confident and empowered while respecting the diverse beliefs and customs of people you come across in your work. Think about and be considerate about who you are working with. Remember that your dress will shape the first impression you make.
- Hygiene and personal care are important: Chipped polish, un-kempt hair or body odour can be offensive. Take care of yourself and be regular with your hygiene and grooming.
- Dress for confidence and comfort: Our dress code allows for all kinds of looks. You don’t need to feel confined by ill-fitting clothing, gender or other constraints. We will respect your gender, religious and cultural beliefs. As long as the clothing is appropriate to your mahi/work, feel free to wear what you want to.
- Accessorise Creatively: Feel free to accessorize creatively, keeping your job in mind. Safety is important so if you’ve got physical exertion in your mahi or will be working in situations where you encounter aggression, don’t wear accessories that could be used against you – eg scarves, dangly earrings.
- Shoes to fit: You need good shoes for your role. Heels, flats and sneakers may all be acceptable if safe and appropriate for your work. Keep your jandals, crocs and flipflops for the beach. In some areas, you will need to follow safety rules for footwear.
- Hair and body adornment: If you want to experiment with different hairstyles and colours go ahead but keep body piercings and tattoos that may be considered offensive covered. Safety rules may also apply like keeping your hair up and covered when preparing meals.
- Comfort is key for you and us all: While we support all kinds of looks, please ensure your clothing allows you to move and work comfortably. Remember to respect the workplace environment and cultural diversity when expressing your personal style.
Is a Dress Code necessary?
As is so often the case with policies and procedures, people may not realise they need a Dress Code until someone wears something inappropriate in the workplace. The benefit of a Dress Code is that staff/kaimahi are given guidance about what is/isn’t appropriate. They don’t have to guess. However, as fashions change Dress Code policies can quickly become outdated.
It can be sufficient if your Code of Conduct addresses professional and appropriate behaviour and presentation at work. Workplace instructions can supplement it.
Help with your policies and procedures
At the Policy Place we help you manage your policies and procedure requirements. If you’re subject to the Social Sector Accreditation Standards or Ngā Paerewa: Health and Disability Services Standard, a housing provider, or PTE, our online policies and procedures could be perfect for you. We can provide you with core policies and keep them reviewed and updated for you.
Contact us to learn how we can assist you with your policies and procedures.
Incorporated Society Rules and the Treaty of Waitangi
Protect what’s important
With the new regime of the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 about to kick in it’s time to review and update your Incorporated Society Rules.
Incorporated Society Rules are an organisation’s Constitution. They are foundational and provide a great way of embedding your agency’s core values and commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi.
In the build-up to the election in NZ, we’ve seen the Treaty of Waitangi treated like a political football. We’ve seen how important it is to therefore protect core values and principles from political whims and ignorance.
While we may not be able to do anything about the tactics of some political parties, we can do something in our own turf to strengthen our organisation’s commitment to the Treaty and give it enduring effect.
Update Incorporated Society Rules
Under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022, an organisation wanting to register or reregister for incorporation will have to provide a Constitution. If you’re already registered as an incorporated society, you’ll probably have to review and update your Rules or Constitution to meet the new requirements concerning officers, dispute resolution, membership and officer requirements.
While updating for these requirements, why not also update your Rules/Constitution to embed a strong Treaty focus in your organisation’s foundation? The Act allows a long time for an organisation to bring its Constitution up to scratch so there’s plenty of time to do things well.
At the Policy Place, we aim to embed the Te Tiriti o Waitangi into policies and procedures for members. The Treaty is a foundational document for Aotearoa. Its undertakings, such as respect for Rangatiratanga, protection of taonga such as te reo Māori and active pursuit of equity are also reflected in various compliance regimes that apply to our clients like the Social Sector Accreditation Standards and Ngā Paerewa Health and Disability Standard.
Here’s some ideas for embedding Te Tiriti o Waitangi into your Constitution as an incorporated society.
1. Principles
To future-proof your agency, state your purposes and values in your Rules/Constitution clearly. To incorporate Te Tiriti o Waitangi include principles like:
- Recognition of the rights of Māori as tangata whenua
- Kawanatanga – honour governance
- Rangatiratanga – right of Māori to self-determination and for Māori by Māori
- Oritetanga – equity
- Wairuatanga – respect for diverse values and spiritual beliefs. (see Waitangi Tribunal: Te Hauroa
2. Members and Officers
If you have charitable aims and are a mainstream agency, how about providing for co-goverance. This could reflect in your rules on membership, for example, requiring Iwi/Hapū nominated positions; and/or that there is an equal representation of Māori and non-Māori in officer positions.
3. Procedures in Incorporated Society Rules
Give substance to your Treaty principles through your Rules covering various procedural aspects:
- procedures for meetings – requiring the observance of tikanga Māori;
- a quorum – eg to comprise an equal number of Māori and non-Māori
- a quorum for Kaupapa Māori – comprise at least one representative from each participating Iwi, hapū
- meeting processes to include Māori Caucas or another way for Māori members to meet around and agree on initiatives of significance to the Society and/or whānau/tangata Māori
- opportunity for Iwi/Hapū representatives to consult prior to decisions
- encouragement and respect for ngā tikanga me te reo Māori in processes including conflict and dispute resolution
- the principle of “for Māori by Māori” will guide decision-making
- manaakitanga for meetings
- Cultural Advisor roles.
Conclusion
The Incorporated Societies Act 2022 came into force on 6 April 2022. The 1908 Act applies to an incorporated society until it registers under the new Act.
Organisations can register under the new Act from 5 October 2023 through to April 2026.
Agencies have the time to get their Constitutions into shape. Grab the chance to embed your Treaty and other core values into your Constitution.
Act now to protect the things you value. By incorporating the Treaty of Waitangi and other core values into your Constitution you give it a foundational status that can guide your organsiation into a positive and equitable future.
Māori Language policy and procedure for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
In Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, have you got a Māori language policy and procedure up and running? If not, now’s the time to get one happening.
Te reo Māori is an official language of Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ) along with English and NZ Sign Language. According to Sir James Henare, “Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori” – its the life force of the mana Māori.
The language is a taonga/cultural treasure that is protected by Te Tiriti o Waitangi. However, like many indigenous languages around the world, it was quashed by colonisation so that by the 1980s it faced the threat of extinction. Since then, and due to the perseverance of Māori and the success of initiatives like Te Kohanga Reo and Te Kura Kaupapa, the language has undergone a revival.
Over the last decade the number of Māori proficient in the reo and numbers supporting use of the language in schools etc has increased significantly (see Statistics NZ Te reo Māori proficiency and support continues to grow.)
Ideas for Māori Language policy and procedure
With policy and procedures on Māori language for your organisation, you can support the ongoing revitalisation of the language. In this post, we suggested some ideas. Here’s some more ideas on what you might cover:
Promotion of the language
- Use common use Māori kupu/words in signage
- Help build staff confidence to use te reo Māori by providing opportunities for kōrero in daily work.
- Support and require staff to pronounce kupu Māori correctly, particularly the names of people and places and frequently used phrases
Recognise the relevance of the language
- Encourage and support staff to learn and further their skills in te reo Māori as part of professional development
- Recognise competency in te reo Māori as a valued skill in recruitment and remuneration processes
- Support initiatives for te reo speakers to kōrero and support each other
- Offer information about your organisation in te reo Māori
- If you have the staff and resourcing, ascertain clients’ cultural preferences and allocate staff accordingly.
Recognise the importance of language and culture
- Consult with mana/tangata whenua and seek cultural expertise, when necessary, about appropriate protocols/tikanga and use of te reo Māori
- Affirm the rangatiratanga and mana of the iwi in your region and acknowledge the different dialects of te reo Māori
- Engage with staff and acknowledge the right of Māori staff to lead or guide policy and procedures on use of te reo Māori in the organisation
- Have and update a Te Tiriti o Waitangi policy that recognises te reo Māori as a taonga/cultural treasure and promotes usage
- Include a requirement to pronounce or learn to pronounce Māori names and place names correctly in the Code of Conduct
- Support equality and inclusion in the workplace with initiatives like cultural safety training and Diversity and Inclusion policy and processes.
For other ideas, check out our previous posts. In Kia Mauri Ora te reo Māori, for example, we suggested that having a Māori language plan could be a good way of staying on track with learning the reo as an organisation.
And don’t forget the basics- sharing with others is the essence of language.
Have fun, eat kai, sing and kōrero to celebrate the special and unique language of this land during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.
What about fair treatment for Kiritapu Allan?
Fair treatment for Kiritapu Allan would have resulted in a different decision. She has not been afforded due process and as a result, the Prime Minister’s decision to revoke her Ministerial portfolios is unfair.
Employees, who like Kiri are charged with criminal offending, at least have the benefit of some basic employment protections. In this post, we look at those protections. We question why Ministers of the Crown are not afforded the same rights. Kiri Allan’s case, we argue, shows the unfair results.
Code of Conduct
At the Policy Place we see many different Codes of Conduct. They are generally similar and the one applicable to Ministers of the Crown is no exception. Like many others that apply in New Zealand workplaces, the Cabinet Manual states expectations of high ethical and behavioural standards by Ministers.
Unlike many other Codes of Conduct, the Cabinet Manual specifically applies these standards to a Minister’s personal life. However, there is an equivalent obligation in other Codes of Conduct -an employee’s obligation to refrain from any act or omission that could reasonably bring their organisation/employer into disrepute.
Fair treatment in employment
If an employee is charged with an offence or breach of Code of Conduct, they must be treated fairly in NZ law. In the criminal justice system, this means they are entitled to the presumption of innocence.
In their employment, the person who is charged with an offence, has the right to due process before any decision should be made about their employment. An impartial and fair investigation must be undertaken and the person given a fair and reasonable opportunity to answer allegations, including the opportunity to access support and advice. Only after a fair hearing and consideration of issues should any decision be made about what has occurred and then, about the appropriate action to be taken.
A criminal charge or conviction for acts committed outside of work will not always warrant disciplinary action. There must be a sufficient connection between the work role and the charge (Managing an employee charged with a criminal offence.) Even if the charge is relevant to the role, it may not justify dismissal. Other consequences, like a warning, might be more appropriate. It will depend on the circumstances.
Unfair treatment
Employment law doesn’t apply to elected officials nor to decisions about Ministerial appointments.
Yet, due process rights apply to a whole raft of decisions. Decisions about ministerial roles have significant personal and professional ramifications for ministers that are analogous to loss of employment.
For these reasons, Ministers of the Crown should be entitled to equivalent protections.
Bad decisions
An employer’s failure to adhere to due process in employment can lead to bad decisions not just for staff but also for the workplace.
Decisions about ministerial roles are similar to employment decisions. If Ministers are not afforded due process, its more likely that bad decisions will be made. Kiri Allan’s situation demonstrates this:
- She appears to have been given no real time to properly consider and respond to the allegations against her and to access the support she needed to respond
- A full and fair investigation does not appear to have been undertaken before the PM decided she was not fit to hold a Ministerial Warrant
- No regard seems to have been given to whether Kiritapu could continue to hold some but not all of her Ministerial roles. For example, she steps down as Minister of Justice but continue as Minister for Regional Development where the criminal charges are less relevant.
- The PM referred to mental distress as the context for the criminal charges against Kiritapu. However, her mental distress doesn’t appear to have influenced or discouraged him from rising to a quick decision about her ministerial warrant.
- No regard appears to have been given to the Crown obligation of active protection under Te Tiriti o Waitangi in this case. That obligation requires the Crown to actively redress inequities experienced by Māori. Wāhine Māori in politics experience significantly more adversity and distress than others. The impacts of this on Kiri Allan should have been considered before any decision was made.
Conclusion
We expect a lot of our politicians. At the very least, they should be afforded the same basic protections as staff.
The Cabinet Manual needs to be changed to reflect this. If not, we are likely to continue to see bad processes leading to bad and reactionary decisions.
AI Policy and Procedures – issues for social and health services
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) rapidly evolves, health and social service organisations need AI policy and procedures to guide their ethical and responsible use of AI.
We derive many benefits from AI. In the social service and health sectors, these include support with decision-making and diagnostics, efficiency gains, improved record management and evidence-based practice.
But there are ethical risks of AI use, which vary across different AI applications.
If not addressed in organisational policies and procedures, these risks could threaten the heart and soul of social and health services. We therefore need AI fit-for-purpose policies and procedures to guide us.
AI policy and procedures
Key issues to think about and canvas in your AI policy include data management, transparency, roles and responsibilities, misinformation and legal and regulatory compliance.
Data management
Used in health and other service areas, AI systems may collect a large amount of highly sensitive information about a person. This could be misused or used for non-consented or malicious purposes. The security of information collected and used through AI, must therefore be addressed in policies and procedures. Likewise, access to and sharing of the information that is collected.
n Aotearoa/NZ the Privacy Act 2020 and other regulatory standards like the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 must be complied with.
Transparency in your AI policy
If we’re using generative AI for advice, diagnosis and to help make decisions that affect people’s lives, then it’s important that we understand the basis of the advice and information it provides.
The right to give or refuse informed consent is integral to quality care and service. We also want to provide person-centred care. Before relying on AI to help us with service provision, we should therefore understand and be able to explain to those we serve the criteria and information on which the AI is based. This should reflect in our policies and procedures.
Other issues of transparency to address in your AI policy concern responsibilities for using AI, how the organisation uses AI in its services and activities and the associated risks.
Roles and Responsibilities
AI isn’t for everyone. It’s unrealistic to expect everyone to have a good grasp of it in your organisation. However, with AI likely to play an increasingly important role in your organisation, it’s important to think about AI responsibilities and to include these in your AI policy. Key responsibilities to cover include AI policy review and AI risk management.
Misinformation safeguards in your AI policy and procedures
As we already know, it is becoming harder to distinguish fact from fiction as the technology to generate misinformation so rapidly evolves.
The risks are potentially disastrous. They range from reputational damage and loss of trust in person and organisation through to grievous harm when mis-information is relied on as fact.
AI policy addressing data security is crucial. But it’s not enough.
If we’re going to rely on generative AI, we need safeguards in our AI policy for AI output to be checked and verified.
The strategies will vary, depending on the nature of the AI information, but can include:
- monitoring and tracking to see that AI achieved its intended purpose
- monitoring error rates
- review of AI-generated advice by subject matter experts
- checking AI information against other sources known to be reliable and credible
- monitoring and evaluating feedback from clients about the impacts of AI
Without these checks, your organisation becomes highly vulnerable to the serious impacts of misinformation.
Keeping your AI policy and procedures fit for purpose
AI technology evolves quickly, which makes it challenging to keep our policies and procedures fit for purpose.
Social and health services are required to keep their polices regularly reviewed and updated. At the Policy Place we support our members through regular reviews and updates of their policies based on a two or three year cycle.
However, with your AI policy and procedures, it may be necessary to prescribe more frequent reviews and updates.
Conclusion
Given the rapid rate of change, we could easily think we should just wait and see before we launch into an AI policy. But don’t be fooled. There’s nothing to wait for.
We might not get it right the first time or even the second time with our policy. But we can change and evolve our policies and procedures as we gain more understanding of AI system and risks.
The Policy Place online policies – questions and answers
The Policy Place provides online policies to social, health, education and other human services. Here are five frequently asked questions we receive from members when just starting out on the system.
New members should also take a look at videos and guidance posted here.
Q1. How do I change the Client/Service User statement?
The Service or Policy User statement is a sentence about the client’s or policy user’s experience of the policy. It’s at the top of the page.
To change the statement, go to policy management on your Dashboard. Then to policies. Find the policy you want from the list under core policies.
Go to Details tab of the policy. You will find the Service/Policy user statement in the policy statement 1.
Insert the statement you want. This will replace the existing statement.
If you want to delete the Service/Policy user statement without a replacement statement just write in blank.
See here for videos and resources about your online system and customising your policies and procedures.
Q2. How do I change the Whakatauki?
Many of the policy pages have a whakatauki at the top – wisdom of an elder/ those gone before us relevant to the policy.
To change the whakatauki go to policy management on your Dashboard. Then to policies. Find the policy you want from the list under core policies.
Go to Details tab of the policy. You will find the whakatauki in the policy statement 2 and sometimes, an explanation or translation for it in statement 3.
Insert the whakatauki you want to replace the existing one. If you want to translate or provide some context or explanation for what you insert enter text as statement 3.
If you want to delete statements 2 and/or 3 without inserting a replacement just write in blank.
See here for videos and resources about your online system and customising your policies and procedures.
Q3 How do I change branding/logo?
Go to platform settings on your Dashboard.
Go to the bottom of the page to branding. There, you will see the colours and images we have used for your policies.
You can alter these by clicking on what you want to change.
Q4. How do we enable Auditor access?
Most human service agencies have to be accredited and audited against regulations and/or standards including those set by the law. Health and Disability agencies must comply with the NZS: 8134 Ngā Paerewa. Private Training Organisations must comply with NZQA Regulations, Social Services must comply with the Social Sector Accreditation Standards and Community Housing Providers with the Public and Community Housing Management (Community Housing Provider) Regulations 2014.
Online access
An Auditor can access your policies for auditing purposes if you set them up as a temporary Team Member User on your policy site.
Set up their access by manual creation of a password. Once the audit/assessment is finished, you can delete them from the system.
Document access
If an auditor or Assessor wants to audit documents rather than online, no problem.
The role of Administrator of your policy site can download/print out individual pages by clicking on the Word icon at the upper right-hand corner on each policy page. If you want all pages printed, click on Download all pages at the bottom of the lefthand menu.
If they want to see what’s been reviewed and updated, updates are recorded on the Review and Updates page. For the relevant updates click on the Word documents.
More information?
See here for videos and resources about your online system and customising your policies and procedures.
Q5 Can we customise our policies more?
Yes, there are a range of ways to customise your policies more. You can edit text, add paragraphs and pages to your existing set of policies.
The options are outlined on the Online Policies page.
For more discussion about the pros and cons of customisation see here.
National Adverse Event Policy Commences
The new National Adverse Event Policy commences for Aotearoa/New Zealand on 1 July 2023. It improves on the old one.
Restoration in the National Adverse Event policy?
Key elements of the restorative approach
1. Communication and Support
The National Adverse Event policy highlights the importance of effective communication and support for patients, their families/whānau, and healthcare professionals involved in adverse events. Open and honest communication is crucial to addressing the harm caused and to keeping people informed.
Appropriate and timely support and care is also crucial to assist people to cope with the aftermath of an adverse event. Planning for care is important and may include specialist and community referrals.
2. Learning and Improvement
The restorative approach emphasises the importance of learning from adverse events to prevent their recurrence. Healthcare agencies must review and investigate an event to uncover why and how it occurred and to plan and implement necessary changes to prevent similar incidents in the future. This focus on learning and improvement helps restore trust in the healthcare system by demonstrating a commitment to addressing and preventing harm.
3. Redress and Remedies
Restorative measures aim to redress harm and restore wellbeing. Redress can take many forms. It will depend on the legislative and regulatory framework, the wishes of the person harmed and the nature and circumstances of the harm. An agency’s acknowledgement of harm may be sufficient. An apology for harm and its impacts can mean a lot. Or it may be necessary to arrange for compensation (ACC) and resourcing for ongoing care.
4. Cultural Considerations
The restorative approach recognises that cultural considerations are relevant to how healthcare professionals should engage with people impacted by an adverse event. Māori principles of restorative justice, such as manaakitanga (hospitality), whakawhanaungatanga (building relationships), and whakamana (empowerment) are important.
Conclusion
In Aotearoa/New Zealand, we’ve seen the restorative approach in action in a range of contexts, for example, in the Youth Justice System and criminal sentencing. It has been proven to have many benefits. As a key element of the new National Adverse Event Policy – it will foster a culture of accountability, trust, and learning within the healthcare system.
Check out Te Tāhū Hauora/HQSC website for all the resources it provides to support the implementation of the National policy.
Matariki policy and procedures
Matariki policy and procedures can support your workplace to celebrate Matariki and progress its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Matariki is a significant event in Aotearoa. Widely known as the start of the Māori New Year, it marks the rising of the cluster of stars known as the Pleiades.
In Matariki opportunities and significance in the workplace, we covered the introduction of a new Public Holiday for Matariki in Aotearoa and that there are different traditions surrounding Matariki. In this post, we consider how policy content and processes can be used to support the celebration of Mātariki in your workplace and more broadly, to help grow an inclusive and equitable organisational culture.
Cultural Awareness and Respect
If you haven’t already got a policy to reflect your organisation’s commitment to cultural diversity and inclusion, now is the time. If you’re subject to the Social Sector Accreditation Standards or Health and Disability Standards or working in the education sector, the policy is a “must.”
Even if these standards don’t apply, a policy in this area is a good way to keep you compliant with your employment obligations, health and safety requirements and the Human Rights Act 1993. Not having a policy in this area, opens you to significant risks. You can DIY or contact the Policy Place for help.
For those who do have an existing diversity and inclusion or non-discrimination policy, you could incorporate guidance for honoring Matariki and provision for learning about Matariki and its significance for the local iwi.
Inclusive Celebrations
You could create procedures that encourage inclusive celebrations and events centered around Matariki. The planning and organisation of these activities should respect the protocols of local iwi and reflect collaboration with Māori staff and cultural advisors.
Learning and Development Opportunities
Learning and development should be a part of your diversity and inclusion policy. You could add in specific reference to learning and development about local traditions relating to Matariki.
There’s always lots happening in Matariki. It’s a great chance for your workplace to engage in local celebrations, cultural workshops, Te Reo Māori classes and other wananga/educational initiatives to deepen cultural understanding and knowledge.
Engagement with Māori
Engagement and collaboration with Māori during Matariki and beyond is a Treaty obligation for government-funded Tau Iwi/non-Māori services. The nature of the engagement should be negotiated and reinforced by policy and processes and may include formalised partnerships with hapū, iwi and Māori serves, a system of parallel development (Kaupapa Māori and mainstream) participation in community events, and support for initiatives promoting te reo Māori and cultural revitalization.
Display and Communication
Create procedures in your policy for displaying appropriate Matariki-related symbols, links and messaging on your physical and online sites. Visual representations must be culturally respectful and align with Māori protocol.
There are a lot of resources and information about Matariki available. For example, check this and the official Matariki website out.
Implementation
As we know, the challenge with policies and procedures is not just to develop them. You also have to implement them and get your staff/kaimahi onboard. To effectively integrate Matariki-focused policies and procedures, consider:
- involving staff/kaimahi and cultural advisors in review and evaluation’
- training and educational resources for the workplace and your service users about Matariki eg workshops, guest speakers, or online modules that promote cultural awareness and sensitivity
- information and updates about how to ensure consistency with and respect for ngā tikanga me te reo Māori in workplace conduct and processes like training; complaints and disputes resolution.
Review and Evaluation of Matariki policies and procedures
Regularly review and evaluate the effectiveness of your Matariki policy content and procedures. Seek feedback from your staff and those you engage with to enable you to build on what’s working and improve as necessary.
Conclusion
It’s important that incorporation of Matariki into your organisational policies and procedures represents a genuine commitment to achieving cultural diversity, respect, and inclusivity in the workplace.
Embracing Matariki and its cultural significance in your workplace is one way to honor the rich cultural heritage of Aotearoa. It can help you to foster a sense of belonging, strengthen relationships with hapū, iwi and help you build an environment that is appreciative of diverse cultural knowledge and traditions.
Policy and Procedure Templates – generic & customised
Policy and procedure templates can take you from the bottom of the hill straight to the top.
Most organisations need policies and procedures. But getting your policies sorted can feel like an uphill battle that doesn’t ever end. Templates though can, depending on the type you choose, give you the basic structure to get you started through to all the policy content you need.
To help you make the best choice, we’re reviewing a range of different template options – considering their pros and cons. The good news for social, health, education and housing agencies is that you can access all options through The Policy Place.
Starter Policy and Procedure Templates
If you’re wanting a policy template that gives you a structure to start with, there are a few options around that basically offer advice about policy writing. They typically give you a policy structure along the lines of headings like Purpose; Policy; Procedures; Responsibilities; Related Documents and Policies.
The Workplace Policy Builder is a good example.
Having a structure can help get you started and is a good option if you’re into the DIY and freebies. However, you’ve still got all the hard work of policy creation to do.🤔 Not only that. You also have to keep the content reviewed and updated for currency with law, regulations, and other requirements.
Area-specific Policies
There are lots of policy templates on the market aimed at particular areas like Human Resources and Health and Safety. Sometimes the products come with additional advisory services like HR advice and support. They are a good option if you want access to particular knowledge and expertise.
BUT…
These products can be expensive.
AND…
They can be challenging to implement because they are not typically focused on your particular organisational context. Although they may incorporate some branding and sometimes, an introduction from the CE, they usually apply generally, which comes through in the content.
The Policy Place online policy service overcomes these problems:
- We are not wholly generic. We provide core policy content but specifically for different contexts of social services, health, disability, housing and education and to a limited extent for an organisation itself.
- We are cost-effective because we address common policy needs of organisations associated with law, regulations and compliance standards and want to be accessible to cash-strapped non-profits and start-ups.
- We keep core policy content reviewed and updated for members.
Customised Policy and Procedure Templates
Customised policy products are harder to come by. That’s because they’re usually done by consultants. They can be great because they are built around the organisation’s particular needs and incorporate a lot of operational detail.
BUT…..
Customised policies are usually very expensive. This reflects a heavy investment of time by consultants with specialist knowledge.
AND
Customised policies are a one-off product. They are not subject to regular review and updating, which is required for compliance with standards that apply in areas like Health and Disability, Social Services, Training and Housing.
You can have it all
The Policy Place offers you the chance to customise your policies while reaping the benefits of regular reviews and updates of core policy content. Customisation is optional and done by you as the client.
- The system works easily:
- You sign up for the Essentials Package, which the Policy Place puts together for you based on the information you provide and your compliance needs.
- You decide on how you might want to customise – add paragraphs or pages, edit core policy text or grab it all.
- You decide who you want to authorise to customise your policies and authorise them on the system.
Any problems? Contact the Policy Place who wll help.
Induction Policy
Do you need an induction policy or not? In this post, we look at the pros and cons of having a policy and some induction essentials.
What is induction and should everyone do it?
Induction is a process used to welcome and onboard a new person to your worksite. Your worksite may be a physical place or remote online environment.
The inductee may be a new employee, member of governance, contractor, student, intern or volunteer. As a rule of thumb, everyone should be inducted to a new working environment.
What should Induction cover?
Induction introduces a person to the culture, relationships, and processes of an organisation. It helps set the tone for their ongoing participation. It’s important therefore to get it right in terms of how you do it and what you cover.
Things to think about and prepare when inducting include:
- role expectations and responsibilities
- relevant health and safety matters
- the welcome process (respectful and responsive to the cultural background of the new appointee (eg mihi whakatau))
- arrangements to address the new appointee’s support needs (eg reasonable accommodation for disability)
- access to key organisational documents and systems
- communication channels
- a tour of the worksite which, for a physical site, includes evacuation points and emergency exits
- relationships and people the new appointee is likely to interact with.
For temporary and contract roles, induction will be different. It will cover essentials like relevant health and safety matters but may be more task-focused.
Should you have an Induction Policy?
It is necessary to properly induct people to a worksite. But you can do what’s required without necessarily having a specific Induction policy.
Benefits of an Induction Policy
In Are you missing out? Is good policy what you need? we talked about the benefits of having good policies. The benefits of an Induction policy include:
- That the status of “policy” helps signal that Induction is important, a “must-do” rather than “nice-to-have”
- The policy can guide what should be covered, when it should be covered and who is responsible for it
- That policy will help promote consistency in how induction is undertaken across the organisation.
But it’s not always best….to have everything in policy:
- Less is often more when it comes to policies. Too many can become unworkable and discourage people from using them.
- Induction should be responsive to an individual skill level and job role. Policies can sometimes impede responsiveness if an organisation has a top-heavy sign-off and approval process for when changes to a process in a policy are made.
Policy isn’t the only way to provide guidance about induction. At the Policy Place, we often use Checklists and diagrams as quick guides for our members on processes. There are other options too including:
- Practice Notices
- Team meetings
- Charts
- Videos
- Email communications
- Workplace News
- Training (paper and online modules)
- Coaching
- Mentoring
Consider preferences for an Induction Policy
People have different preferences for how they like to be guided and informed. Consider these preferences when deciding if you need an Induction policy for your workplace.
If your staff are kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face-to-face) type of people and you’re in a relatively small workplace, your best strategy may be to minimise policy content and prescribe procedures like Induction in a more “hands-on” way. A Checklist coupled with a formal acknowledgment and sign-off from the responsible manager and inductee that induction was completed might just do the trick.
Proof that induction is done and dusted is important whatever strategy you choose for induction.
On the other hand, if you’re a big workplace with a number of managers and staff who are responsible for induction, a policy may well be your best strategy. It will help build consistency into your process and as an organisational policy, is more likely to be taken seriously.
At The Policy Place, we cover the following in our Induction Policy:
- The reason/purpose of the policy
- Who’s Responsible
- Key Requirements
- Compliance
- Date when policy should be reviewed.
Helpful links
For our online Policy Place users, we incorporate Helpful links. These are links that our clients can access for related online information. From our Induction policy page, for example, our client can access our online Recruitment and Selection policy and Health and Safety Responsibilities policy page.
We often include relevant external links for legislation and resources like:
Check these resources out if you’re needing more help with your Induction Policy or process. Better still, if you don’t want to any more worry about writing, reviewing and updating policies, get in touch with us now. We offer online and bespoke policies and want to lighten your workload.