Looking to Streamline Your Policy Development Process?
Having a successful policy management program requires a variety of key elements but there’s one that cannot be understated. Planning will help you identify your policy goals and allow you to consider the impact your policies will have on your business and employees. A Policy Review Checklist is the best way to create a meaningful impact for managing both your Human Resources and Compliance policies.
The purpose of the Policy Review Checklist is to provide a useful tool that assists in the policy drafting and review process and should contain the steps needed to write, review, approve, and communicate your policies. The checklist will always vary from company to company depending on factors such as size, organizational structure, and industry. What remains the same is the goal of effective management. If you’re just getting started, explore the steps you’ll want to include in your checklist as you move through the pre-work, draft, approval, communication, and maintenance stages.
BUILDING THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR CHECKLIST
Pre-Work
- Identify and clarify the purpose of the policy
- Verify if your organization has the authority to enforce the policy
- Determine if any policies or laws exist that are in conflict
- Identify the person(s) responsible for writing, reviewing, approving, and communicating the policy
- Identify all stakeholders the policy applies to
- Determine if there is any impact on your company’s strategy or mission
- Identify any related or impacted policies, procedures, or guidelines
- Determine if you have a Policy on Policies, also known as a Metapolicy
Draft
- Using your Policy on Policies as a guide to write your new policy
- Circulate a draft to all those responsible
- Based on the reviewer’s feedback, redraft if necessary
- Review the policy with all relevant stakeholders
- Confirm all reviewers are ready to submit the policy for approval
Approval
- Submit the policy for approval(s)
- Re-draft and re-circulate the policy again if necessary
- Submit for final approval
Communication
- Publicize the policy to all relevant stakeholders
- If needed, require the stakeholders to attest to reading and understanding the policy
- Undertake strategies outlined in the Policy Communication and Implementation Plan
Maintenance
- The policy owner should review the policy regularly, such as annually
- Stay up-to-date on any internal or external changes that may affect the policy
At the heart of your checklist, it should be about empowering employees, not controlling them. A policy’s purpose is to state business goals and to express your organization’s standards, behaviors, and expectations to guide your employees’ actions. Clear and organized policies provide employees with the knowledge they require to make informed decisions and do what’s best for the company. Utilizing a Policy Management system, like Star’s, will promote this effectiveness while allowing you to stay organized and create, communicate, and maintain an effective policy management program.
