Human Resource Policies & Practices

Imagine a workplace without a single policy or practice. Chaotic and unthinkable, right? However, its importance is often overlooked by most employers when these should be given with much regard. How to make use of the best assets—the employees—the company has? It’s simple: through the best human resource policies and practices. And while there is a vast number of human resource policies and practices, there can only be a few best that ideally, every business must always have.

3 Best Human Resource Policies

Policies are guidelines that are enforced to a workforce in order for it to be organized and well-managed. Employees, human as they are, can cause workplace situations that can go sometimes out of hand, but with strongly implemented policies, any circumstance can be resolved. Having effective policies often reap good results for the company, such as accomplished goals and objectives and successful business plans, as this would also improve business growth.

Policy on Employment Contract

A contract of employment is a kind of contract that legally binds the employer and the employee in a mutual agreement. Without this important policy, it would not be clear as to what has been agreed upon by both of the parties. Contract of Employment also consists of the Terms and Conditions that contains regulations that employees should sign to agree on. Contract of employment would also help the employer in setting favorable expectations and values he wants to instill in his employees.

Policy on Code of Ethics

Ethics deals with moral principles—the rightness and wrongness of actions. The code of ethics in every workplace outlines and articulates the principles, responsibilities, obligation, and expectations that are needed to be exercised by the workforce. It may also include the vision statements, mission statements, and objective statements of the business where every aspect of the code of ethics is based upon.

Policy on Compensation and Benefits

One of what job seekers consider when applying in a company is its compensation and benefits. This policy ensures the employees that aside from their base pay, they receive other forms of payback for their doing their job. These are the common compensation and benefits:

• Bonus Options (performance, attendance, referral)
• Medical and Health (HMO, dental, fitness)
• Paid Time Offs/Leaves (sick leave, holidays, vacation, bereavement)
• Insurance  (life insurance, travel accident)
• Retirement (pension, contribution)
• Education (assistance, scholarships)
• Food, Clothes, Transportation, Relocation, Leisure (freebies, gift certificates, discounts)

3 Best Human Resource Practices

Practices of the human resource balance the formality policies have. These practices have an impact on the company’s success. While this varies in every company, the presence of such practices has proven to improve the employees’ performance because some practices contribute to their productivity. Practices also ensure the happiness and the satisfaction of the employees that can be directly related to their work performance.

1. Practice of Camaraderie

Most companies now would group its employees in teams. Through groupings, each member will be able to determine the strengths, weaknesses, and even the opportunities and threats that would arise from the capabilities and characters of each team member. The sense of belonging is one of the human emotional needs that, once fulfilled, would make the employee feel good and this feeling would induce productivity.

2. Practice of Enforcing Individual Growth

Despite being grouped in teams, individual growth can still be possible. Businesses foster self-improvement to its employees by providing avenues and opportunities where they can grow and be consistently productive. Some are the following:

• Blocking of social media sites
• Attendance regulations
• Training, workshops, and seminars
• Mentoring programs
• Promotion and transfer opportunities

3. Practice of Open Communication and Transparency

One way of communicating openly to the employees is an open-book management. When an employee shares and informs his business plans and decisions, as well as the financial statements of the business, they employees would feel involved and invested in their work and in every aspect of the business. Another way of an open communication is by holding open discussions and hosting regular meetings.

Through these kinds of gatherings, employees acquire a medium where they can share their ideas, opinions, plans, and even problems with the management that might help in the development of the business since these inputs can influence business decisions. Communication stands as a foundation that holds every organization and any lack or absence of it could be detrimental to the company.