HR policies and associated systems are intended to make sure that your organisation complies with the law by providing a clear and transparent process for dealing with common HR issues. A great HR policy means that misunderstanding can be avoided; employer and employees know and understand their respective obligations and what is expected of them.

HR policies can not remain static. Issues such as:

• updates in the law and best practice
• changes in the Organisation and its needs
• contractual obligations

These all mean frequent reviews and changes to HR policies and systems.

In a busy practice/organisation it is easy to feel that reviewing, updating and managing subsequent changes in set polices is a chore, so it is usually squeezed in and left to be done at short notice to meet deadlines, such as legal compliance. In fact the process should be regarded as an opportunity. This is because inevitably, when you do tackle the task, you realise that an existing policy or process:

• is out of date or
• ambiguous or
• doesn’t quite achieve what it was intended to or
• just doesn’t work in practice anymore

Here are our top 3 tips to manage and update your HR Policies:

(1) Plan for when you will do it  

Instead of trying to tackle a major review of everything in a single month, create a rolling programme of review for each of your HR policies.

November is usually a good month for sitting down to plan the forthcoming year of review, because by then you should have a good indication of the month in which legal changes will take effect or when organisation contracts are reviewed/renewed. Don’t forget that April is likely to be a heavy month for changes so make sure you take that into account and stagger what you need to do.

(2) Set aside some time

Without trying to sound obvious the only way to ensure that you take the time required to review your HR policies is to make time in your diary/planner each month. If you know this is a task that is likely to be sidelined if something else crops up, then block it out of your diary as if you had an important meeting with someone and avoid any temptation to rearrange.

(3) Involve others

Change Management specialists emphasise the importance of involving those who will be affected by the change so it makes good sense to

• let employees know that a review will be taking place and explain why and what changes will be required and
• ask for suggestions and general input both as to how to effect the change but also for implementing and generally making improvements

Not only is this a great way to start the delegation process – making people feel involved in the process means they are more likely to adhere to and embrace the changes.

HR policies need to be dynamic so that they are current; not only in terms of legal compliance but also that they continue to meet the organisation’s obligations and needs. Careful planning and managing changes will provide effective HR policies and systems which will make life easier for everyone.

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