Workplace Policies and Procedures

Understanding workplace policies and procedures

Our guidance on policies and procedures, the difference between the two, why they are useful, and how to best implement them. Plus we have a useful template to help you get started.

Workplace policies and procedures should clearly set out the rules that employees must abide by. They are also a valuable tool in managing your employees. They work alongside employment agreements to make sure both parties are clear on the expectations and obligations of the employment relationship.

Why should you have workplace policies?

They help:

reduce the risk of misunderstanding the conditions of employment
to ensure fairness between employees
to get consistency across stores if you have multiple locations
employees understand the expectations of you as the employer.

What should you include in your policies?

It’s important to understand the difference between a policy and a procedure.

A policy is a set of rules to be followed in a particular area. For example, a leave policy might explain your expectations for employees requesting leave, like applying at least a week in advance.

A procedure is the way something is done, for example the forms that need to be filled out for requesting leave.

Implementing and changing your policies

Your employees should be aware of your policies. We recommend you send your policies to new employees with their employment agreement and get them to sign that they have read and understood these.

If you make changes to policies or are implementing new policies, you need to inform your employees of these changes. For major changes to policy, we recommend you seek feedback from your employees through a consultation process before finalising a new policy.

If you are changing policies, it is recommended that you inform your employees, and again get them to sign that they have read and understood these changes. This minimises any disputes that may arise from employees claiming they were not aware of a policy.