Employees are the fundamental force behind your organization and can make or break up your whole setup any moment. You might have the best business plan in the industry but if you don’t have an organized, disciplined, ethical, committed and sincere team to back the company, you can’t really make your mark. A firm embodies the staff working for it and any anomaly here would mean a huge blow for the organization. Thus, every company boasts a dedicated HR department responsible for the guidelines to be followed by the employees. When it comes to ensuring best professionalism from the staff, a robust and sensible chart of HR policies would seal the deal.

So, what are most crucial HR policies to be followed in modern workplaces? Well, the post below offers a brief on the top 6 HR policies to check in 2017.

Policies on workplace safety

Every employer is accountable for the health and safety of the employees in his workplace. From trip and fall injuries to accidents caused by the faulty use of machinery, workplace injury lawsuits could cost you millions. Also take into account the losses incurred from the production time wasted due to the absence of the affected employee. Thus, employers should be careful about a solid and well-structured workplace safety policy to eliminate the menacing risks of mishaps and injuries in the office. The aforemention policy should be drafted in full compliance with the related OSHA guidelines. On one hand, it would assure better workplace safety and on the other, it’s a great way to prove that you actually care for your people.

Policies regarding employee discipline

No matter how brilliant your team is, you cannot expect the best of efficiency if your employees lack in sincerity and order. No wonder, employee discipline is one of the basic chapters of any standard HR policy book. The discipline policies would clearly state the dos & don’ts for the staff regarding their operation, behavior and attitude in office. From the office regulations on dealing with customers to interacting with co-workers to managing a project to meeting the deadlines - the disciplinary policies will provide a roadmap for everything to ensure a systematic, efficient and organized setup.

Policies on using social media

It’s a “social” world today where everything we do gets showcased in front of the whole world within a matter of seconds. That’s fine when it’s limited to the personal life but not so when it comes to your business. A blabbermouth social media addict employee leaking out your promotional secrets on social media is not just silly - but also poses a huge risk for the business. Such idiocies are not uncommon and hence some companies have completely banned the use of social media in the office. If you don’t wish to be that stern, at least make sure to have a neutral, safe and logical HR policy on social media usage in workplace. There should be restrictions on posting anything offensive, discriminatory or inappropriate about the office, co-workers, industry, clients and even the competitors. Moreover, the employees should also be mindful about not revealing trade secrets, sales forecasts, strategies, legal issues and business plans on social media.

Policy on working hours

This is surely one of the most vital HR policies your small business must put in writing today. Productivity of an organization is largely determined by the time invested by the employees in the workplace. If they don’t have a clear understand of the expected working hours, they won’t be available when you need them to be. The onus is on the employer to categorically document the rules and regulations regarding the working hours. The document would also mention the penalties to be faced on late arrivals and unrestrained absence in the working days. Don’t forget to include any compensations to be rewarded for overtime work.

Policies regarding recruitment

Modern HR policy documents usually feature a separate chapter on regulations to be followed during employee recruitment. The performance and efficiency of your organization heavily depends on who you enroll into your workforce - and hence you have to be especially particular with the recruitment terms. The HR policies on recruitment will feature an organized and practical checklist of steps to be followed during the posting of job advertisements, interviews and the selection of candidates. Focus must be on assuring the most impartial, efficient & responsible recruitment of the most suitable candidates.

Policies regarding leave and days-off

A standard HR policy document would be incomplete without the mention of leave or day-off regulations for the staff. Your employees need to have a clear idea on how much annual leave they are eligible for without risking their salary and job.

Finally, HR policies are meant to ensure order, productivity and discipline in your workplace and not to torture or oppress the employees. You should always remember employee experience signifies the future of your organization. Make sure the policies are just enough to champion the professional in them, with due regard to their basic freedom, talent and prestige in the workplace.