Why are HR policies important?

HR policies provide employees a sense of security, they feel respected and looked after. It also puts things in order for the organization and tracking employee’s growth, discipline, vacations, etc. becomes easy. It works in the favour of employees and also the organization.

HR policies protect employees and the organization from exploitation of any kind. India being a favourable business atmosphere for the manufacturing industry, the employment numbers are huge and these employees need HR policies to make them feel that they will not be exploited. While HR policies should be customized according to the nature of business, there are 10 essential one’s that Zallery recommends:

Anti-Harassment and Non-Discrimination Policy

This policy prohiobits harassment and discrimination at work place basis gender, religion, preferences, etc. The federal, local, and state provisions govern this policy hence reviewing applicable laws while forming the protocols for these policies is highly recommended. Discrimination at workplace can cause immediate resignations and complaints, so having this policy in order brings a sense of safety for the employees and organization too.

Sexual Harassment Policy

Zero tolerance against any sexual harassment, misconduct at workplace is the new norm. Most big organizations have a POSH act applicable, where there’s a committee of HR managers that are designated the authority to make sure that no employee faces any unwanted, unwelcomed, inappropriate sexual comment or action. The POSH (Prevention Of Sexual Harassment) comittee also makes sure to make guidelines and process of reaching out as easy and approachable as possible.

Leaves and day-off policy

With travelling becoming the most popular hobby, companies put in extra effort to make sure absence of employees don’t affect the larger output. The number of leaves per year for employees are formed. The process of applying for leaves is also taught during induction. The SAP id’s etc. help the management to keep track of employee leaves.

Social Media Policy

With social media becoming the most accessible source of information, companies now make sure to keep a check on employee’s social media. The guidelines for this policy can be developed at length depending on the nature of business. The media companies often own the IP (intellectual properties) of their employees, so that their income from social media can benefit the company too. The company ethos also needs to be aligned, for example a company that preaches healthy living will encourage their employees to not post about intoxication/parties. Employees sometimes take matters of disconnect with the company to social media, a policy like this can avoid those scenarios.

Freelance disclosure policy

This policy encourages disclosure of freelance/extra income source of an employee to the company. The company can keep a check on the kind of project an employee is involved in outside the company, and check if there is no conflict of interest. If an employee works for a competition company for freelance, that might be against the code of conduct for the company. Hence having this policy in place is important, given freelance working culture is growing in India.

Drug and Alcohol Policy

Almost all companies have this policy formed. This encourages no consumption of alcohol/drugs in office premises. It enables discipline, and promotes professional work-culture

Confidentiality policy

working for a company gives you access to a lot of data about the company, this policy is an agreement by the employee that they will keep all information about the company confidential.

Safety and Health Policy

This is one of the most popular policies amongst businesses today. This provides the employee support in the form of medical insurance by the company. Most big organizations take accountability for the safety of employees and there are trainings conducted to ensure that employees are aware of the safety protocols. Trainings like fire extinguisher using technique are becoming more and more popular

Probation Policy

This policy enables a time duration (mostly 6 months) for companies to test an employee on their skills, and review their work before announcing them as a full-time employee.

At-will employment/ resignation policy

This policy ensures that a notice period is agreed upon in case of resignation, or the lay-offs. The repercussions of sudden resignations can affect the business’s output severely hence having the guidelines defined for this policy is very important.

These are the 10 HR policies Zallery recommends, we also help you formulate these policies for your business. Visit our services page to know more about it.

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