Organisational Policy Pages 82 – 93

Glossary Policy – A written statement of the processes and procedures, rules and regulations. Procedures – A series of interrelated steps to implement policy.

Organisational Policy The purpose of policy is to communicate the appropriate rules and procedures of an organisation to all relevant stakeholders. Policies establish expected standards of and guidelines for behaviour. LSO’s need to establish appropriate policies for operation to enable effective achievement of their objectives.

Organisational Policy Policies, along with procedures are usually written down in a policy manual. Policy documents are also made available to relevant stakeholders. Many LSO’s publish some of their policies on their website.

Policies, Mission and Goal Policies must reflect an organisation’s mission and goals. If they do, they will: Create consistency across all functions of operation Include procedures Assist with compliance of desired behaviours within the organisation Offer guiding principles for actions Recognise the rights and obligations of people

Effective Policy Effective policies are: Clearly expressed Clearly communicated Often introduced during training, where the rationale and procedures of the policy are also presented

Policy Areas Some policy areas include: Employee recruitment Employee training Privacy Sexual harassment Customer complaints Occupational health and safety

Glossary!! Reactive – The policy of waiting to see what develops before making a decision or plan. Proactive – The habit of using initiative to see opportunities rather than waiting for them emerge and following them.

Policy Development Policies are generally determined by top-level management. However, lower levels of management, employees and other stakeholders are often asked for input. Top-level management is held responsible for the quality of all policies within an organisation.

Policy Development Policy development may either be proactive or reactive. Proactive policy Generally reflects the organisations leadership culture and places the organisation as an industry-leader. sees a organisation take a strategic approach and implement policy to affect positive change.

Policy Development Reactive policy – the organisation must plan, formulate and introduce a policy in response to a pressure. These pressures may come from the internal or external environment and could include: Legal requirements Social influences Union demands Employee demands

Macro Policy Pressures Sources of pressure Examples Legislative compliance Ethics and social responsibility Changing markets and international pressures Changes in technology

Operating Policy Pressures Sources of pressure Examples Competitiveness Regulatory body Unions Lobby groups

Internal Policy Pressures Sources of pressure Examples Shareholders Management / Employees

Steps in Policy Development Issue identification. Research is conducted. Stakeholders are consulted and provide input. A draft policy is written.

Steps in Policy Development The draft policy is posted and circulated for comment. The policy is approved and finalised. The policy is reviewed after a period of time and revised if necessary.

Questions Briefly outline the 7 steps of policy development. Complete: Activity 4.7 (Pages 84 – 86) Activity 4.9 (Page 89)