<aside> What’s this about? Staff policies determine the practices and procedures that staff at your organization must follow. These are usually presented to staff via a staff handbook.
What do I need to do? Make sure that your staff can easily access up-to-date versions of legally-required policies. In the US, many organizations must have policies on health & safety and equal opportunity; state-level requirements may necessitate further policies; and we strongly recommend a wider set of policies that determine practices and procedures around hours & absence, compensation & benefits, protection, devices & media, and conduct.
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Templates
Staff policies determine the practices and procedures that staff at your organization must follow.
Organizational policies are those that protect the organization, rather than specific employees. These include, for example, policies relating to data protection, conflicts of interest, and financial controls.
Determine which policies you’ll need from the get-go, and implement them through written policies and/or insurance brokers.
The following policies may be required for your organization, although this requirement varies according to state and headcount.
It’s likely worth cross-referencing which policies are required with which state you incorporate in.
| Description | Required if your organization… | Template | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health & safety | Provides good working conditions for your employees and ensures the workplace is hazard-free. | Has a physical office from which staff work and 5+ employees. | Health & safety policy |
| Equal opportunity | Promotes equal opportunities in employment such that applicants and employees receive equal treatment regardless of Protected Characteristics (e.g. age, disability, gender reassignment). | Required for all organizations. | Equal opportunity policy |
| Anti-harassment & bullying | Promotes a working environment free from harassment and bullying and ensures all staff are treated and treat others with dignity and respect. | Required for all organizations. | Anti-harassment & bullying policy |
| Absence | Sets out our arrangements for sick pay, reporting, and managing sickness absences. | Required for all organizations. | Absence policy |
| Family Medical Leave Act | Provides eligible employees up to twelve weeks of leave for family and medical reasons. | Has more than 50 employees. | Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) policy |
| Description | Recommended if… | Template | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conflicts of interest | Describes how staff and other stakeholders avoid activities that are in conflict with the principles of business ethics and the interests of the organization. | Recommended for all organizations. | Conflicts of interest policy |
| Vacation | Sets out our arrangements for staff wishing to take vacations. | Recommended for all organizations. | Vacation policy |
| Grievance | Provides a procedure for formally resolving grievances and complaints. | Recommended for all organizations. | Grievance policy |
| Expenses | Deals with claims for reimbursement of expenses, including travel, accommodation, and hospitality. | Recommended for all organizations. | Expenses policy |
| Security | Establishes good cybersecurity practices. | Recommended for all organizations. | Security policy |
| Whistleblowing | Sets out processes for reporting wrongdoing. | Recommended for all organizations. | Whistleblowing policy |
| Digital media | Ensures the social media content and communications from your organisation remain legal, proper, and ethical. | Your organization operates social media accounts. | Digital media policy |
| Privacy | Describes how your organization collects, uses, and shares personal information when individuals visit its website or interacts with it offline. | Your organization collects personal data, such as information from applicants during a hiring round. | Privacy policy |
| Cookies | Describes how your organization uses cookies on its websites to monitor and improve usage. | Your organization uses cookies on its website. | Cookies policy |
| Reserves & investments | Establishes procedures for maintaining sufficient cash reserves. | Your organization has a reserves and investments strategy. | Reserves & investments policy |
| Oversight & authority | Sets out who can make and confirm decisions and actions that affect organization’s assets. | Your organization has several staff at varying levels of seniority. | Oversight & authority policy |
| Description | Consider if your organization… | Template | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Political impartiality | Assures charitable funders that any activity the organization conducts is not party-political and that no political allegiance influences the organization’s work. | Works in an industry (e.g. policy) where partisan accusations may be leveled. | Political impartiality policy |
| Dress code | Promotes a positive and professional image for the company while respecting the needs of individuals from all cultures and religions. | Enforces a dress code. | Dress code policy |
| Anti-corruption & bribery | Promotes honest and ethical organizational practices. | Needs to provide assurance about organizational practices e.g. in relation to its industry or location. | Anti-corruption & bribery policy |
| Remote work | Establishes working arrangements available when it is agreed upon between the organization and the team member to work remotely on a regular basis. | Offers remote working arrangements. | Remote work policy |
| Travel and entertainment | Helps employees accomplish their missions while travelling for work by putting in place structures and procedures designed to save them time and effort. | Has sufficient travel and entertainment needs such that travel and entertainment expenses warrant a separate policy. | Travel & entertainment policy |
We recommend that policies are approved by the board upon implementation, and reviewed routinely (e.g. every 2-4 years). It’s worth listing policies in an internal “policy register” (e.g. a simple spreadsheet or Notion page) with links to each policy and key details (including when they’re up for review).
Staff policies determine the practices and procedures that staff at your organization must follow.
These are usually presented to staff via a staff handbook.
Having an employee handbook with written policies not only improves onboarding efficiency but allows for consistent and fair practices when dealing with personnel disputes and sets expectations for both the employee and what employees can expect from their leadership.
Your organization’s goal when writing your handbook is to ensure you are encapsulating the necessary guidelines to protect your employees and your organization by clearly communicating policies and expectations while mitigating risk. Your handbook also allows your organization to showcase employee benefits, and ensure compliance to local or regional laws.
Examples of great handbooks include The 37signals Employee Handbook and The GitLab Handbook.