Policy and Procedure Manual: What, Why, and How?
Tags: showdev, webdev, management, writing
Published: 2020-08-11 11:34:25

The ultimate dream of every business owner is to have efficient employees, effective communication, and growth! Yet, maintaining all 3 together is not that easy!

The more your company grows, the harder it gets to effectively communicate, and eventually more difficult it becomes to ensure that your employees carry out their tasks efficiently aligned with the objectives of your company!

To maintain a successful cycle, your company needs rules and guidelines to manage employees for a smooth workflow. They also, in turn, need constant assurance that the company has their best interests at heart!

**A policy and procedure manual** is the perfect way to keep your virtual employees on the same page as these manuals work like references in case someone is confused about taking a step or decision-making and enables everyone to behave in a legal, conscious, and ethical manner.

An effective [policies and procedures manual](https://blog.bit.ai/writing-a-policy-and-procedure-manual/) is an important management tool that allows you to focus on growth, simplifies training, and eases the ability to scale in your business!

##What goes into a policy & procedure manual?
Here are some items that should be included in the policies and procedures manual:

-Employment procedures
-Work from home policies
-Organization culture
-Employee benefits
-Communication policies
-Payment procedures
-Workplace guidelines
-Employee code of conduct
-Technology usage procedures

##How to Create a Policies and Procedures Manual?
You’re doing great so far on your way to learning how to write a policy & procedures manual. But your work isn’t done yet; you need to know the main elements that make up your manual. These elements are the structural body of your policy & procedures manual, and if they’re not properly put in place, your manual is incomplete.

**Title**: This is the heading of the document. Make it short and ensure that users at any reading level can understand.

**Description**: An introduction that orients users to the scope of the policy.

**Purpose**: The purpose explains why the policy exists. This includes concerns such as legal, regulatory needs, and conflicts the policy aims to avoid.

**Statement**: This is the most important and lengthiest part. The statements specify the main audience for the policy conditions, restrictions for applying the policy, expectations, and exclusions.

Scope: This concerns which roles or departments the policy pertains to and identifies anyone who is exempt from the policy.

**Responsibilities**: Shows what role, department, or group must maintain the policy. Alternatively, for some policies governed by regulations, these sections list roles responsible for implementing the policy.

**Procedure details**: This is an explanation of how to complete the necessary tasks and polices by providing the reader with procedural steps and “how-to” information.

**References**: Presents related policies, regulatory documents, procedures, forms, and guidelines for reference. Reference any other policies or documents that support the interpretation of this policy.

**Help page**: A table that points users to training programs, paperwork, other company documentation, telephone numbers, and sources to help carry out procedures.