Benefits

People are our most valuable assets. Documenting human resources (HR) policies will help to ensure that our people are treated fairly, know what is expected of them and are assured that the organization is following employment laws. It’s also important to lay the foundation for growth; waiting until your organization has grown to the point where you think you need a human resources policy means you have waited too long.

HR policies clarify the roles, decision-making processes, authority and responsibilities for recruiting and managing staff. As with other policies, the goal of the HR policy is to provide structure and consistency.

A comprehensive HR policy can be used as:

• A practical tool to ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations.
• An organizational reference document that gives clarity on how tasks will be completed.
• A piece of the control environment providing legal protection for the organization.
• A guide for decision-making and prioritizing morale.
• An unbiased, consistent baseline for how staff members are treated.

Planning Considerations

• Identify the purpose of an HR policy for your organization.
  • Some essential purposes are:
    • Recruiting staff specific to your ministry.
    • Establishing organizational culture.
    • Complying with local and national laws and regulations.
• Conduct a needs assessment with your executives and board.
• Identify roles and responsibilities and how duties will be segregated.
• Draft the HR policy keeping in mind that is should be simple and clear, reasonable for your organization, scalable and focused.
  • Suggested areas for an HR policy:
    • Employment eligibility
    • Job classifications and roles
    • Employee records
    • Compensation
    • Work hours and schedules
    • Performance reviews
    • Disciplinary action
    • Termination (voluntary and involuntary)
    • Grievances and conflict resolution
    • Standards of conduct
    • Safety and security
    • Social media
• Build additional HR tools (interview questions, performance appraisal form, exit interview form, etc.)
• Review, discuss and document feedback from staff and board leadership.
• Present the final version to the board for approval.
• Train staff members on the HR policy.
• Have staff members sign a form to acknowledge receipt and review of the policy.
• Review the policy regularly (recommended every 12 months).

Required Resources

1. Human Resources

• Someone to lead the development of the policy
• Someone to document the policy discussions and decisions.
• Someone to gather feedback from stakeholders.
• Someone to write the policy.
• Someone to develop additional HR forms.
• Someone to conduct training.
• Someone to assure that the policy is distributed and signed-off on by all employees and volunteers.
• Someone to lead regular policy review.

2. Collateral

• Document the draft(s) and final approved policy.
• Create HR forms.

3. Time

• Time to meet with stakeholders.
• Time to write a draft policy and make subsequent changes.
• Time for the board to meet to approve the policy.
• Time to train staff and volunteers on the policy.
• Time to review the policy regularly.

4. Space

• Space to hold meetings and to conduct training.

5. Cost

• The cost varies.
• Considerations include meeting, travel and communication (email, phone, text) expenses.