HR Foundations & Compliance
Getting the basics right, and finding the exposure before someone else does.
A policy nobody reads is worse than no policy at all
Most organisations have too many policies, not too few. They accumulate. One written after an incident, one copied from a previous employer, one required by a client, one drafted by someone who has since left. Nobody removes any.
The result is a folder of forty documents, several of which contradict each other, none of which supervisors have read, and all of which a lawyer will produce in a dispute to demonstrate that you didn't follow your own process.
The test of a policy isn't whether it exists. It's whether a supervisor can find the answer in it, in under two minutes, at seven o'clock at night.
You might be dealing with
- No policies, or policies inherited from somewhere else
- A policy suite that's grown without design and now contradicts itself
- Policies written in language nobody on site would use
- A client or tender requiring specific policies you don't have
- An incident that revealed you had no position on something
- Policies that exist but have never been communicated or acknowledged
- A code of conduct that hasn't been reviewed since it was written
- New obligations you need to reflect
What's included
- Policy review What you have, what's current, what contradicts what, and what's missing.
- Drafting Written for the people who have to apply them: plain language, clear steps, obvious decision points.
- Core suite Code of conduct · bullying, harassment and discrimination · drug and alcohol · grievance and complaints · performance and conduct · leave · flexible work · social media and IT use · whistleblower · privacy · and the sector-specific policies your operation requires.
- Procedures The step-by-step version for supervisors, distinct from the policy statement.
- Implementation Communication, acknowledgement, and briefing so people have actually seen them: a policy nobody was told about is difficult to rely on.
- Review cycle A schedule and an owner, so this doesn't need doing from scratch again in three years.
How we write them
- Short. If a policy runs to nine pages, nobody reads it and the important part is buried.
- Plain. Written the way people actually speak, not in legal register.
- Decisive. Policies that avoid saying anything definite are useless to the supervisor holding them at the moment of decision.
- Consistent. One set of definitions, one process for escalation, one voice.
- Honest about discretion. Where the business needs flexibility, the policy should say so rather than commit to a process you won't follow.
Common questions
How many policies do we need?
Fewer than you probably have. A core suite covering conduct, complaints, performance, leave and the specific risks of your operation covers most situations. Beyond that, additions should earn their place.
Should policies form part of the employment contract?
Usually not, and this matters. Policies incorporated into the contract become binding promises, and a failure to follow your own policy can become a breach of contract. Contracts should generally reference policies without incorporating them: worth getting right.
Do employees have to sign them?
Acknowledgement that they've received and read them is good practice and useful evidence. It's not the same as agreeing to them.
How often should we review?
Annually for a light check, properly every two to three years, and immediately when obligations change or an incident reveals a gap.
Ready to talk?
Tell us what you need and we'll take it from there.
Related services
All services →HR Audit
A structured review of your people practices, documentation and compliance position, with findings ranked by risk and a practical plan.