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 What Good Are Policies if They Aren't Practiced?©
by Rick Alcantara
Does your company spend more time documenting policies than living them?
If so, it risks alienating employees, hindering productivity and wasting valuable resources. It can avert such challenges by explaining the rationales behind its rules, describing their benefits and recognizing implementation in the workplace.
Involve employees in the decision-making process
Employees will more likely adhere to your rules when they know how and why they were created. So take the policy-making process out of the shadows. Tell employees what initiated the change, why it's important, how it will benefit the organization, and who contributed to the decision.
If your new policy involves substantial change, include members of the affected employee population in the decision-making process. The participants will support decisions when they have a vested interest in the outcome.
When possible, use a public forum such as your internal newsletter or Intranet to thank employees who participated in drafting a policy.
Communicating your policies
When communicating about policies, don't treat employees like children. Don't shield them from the news because they will see right through the smokescreen. Tell them the good, bad and the ugly behind the decision. For example, if the company must implement some cost-cutting measure, honestly explain why you are taking the action.
By stressing inclusion over paternalism you will foster employee buy-in. Your employees will respond better to explanations of "here's why" than declarations of "thou shalt."
Write for comprehension
Companies often draft rules that only folks in the legal department can comprehend. Instead, state your policies in a way that everyone can understand.
Most people prefer to read content two grade levels below their actual education level. So, if your average employee has a high school diploma, write your content at a 10th-grade reading level. You can use the Gunning-Mueller Fog Index, Flesch Reading Ease Formula, or the Farr-Jenkins Patterson Formula to calculate readability.
Align actual and preferred communication channels
Employ channels that your staff use and trust. Don't post policy changes on the bulletin board if only 5% of your employees will read them.
Conduct some basic research to find out where employees currently receive company information and where they prefer to receive it. For example, if employees currently learn about new policies through print memos, but prefer to receive the info via the Intranet site, then rethink your delivery system.
You can employ interviews, focus groups, or print surveys to find out what works best for the majority of your staff. Just make sure that you ask the right questions in your research. If you merely ask employees how they prefer to receive company news, most will likely say "from their immediate supervisor." However, if you specifically ask them "how do you prefer to receive policy updates," they will probably cite other sources.
Remember to consider the unique needs of remote workers. Road warriors, call-center staffers and production employees may need to receive communications in a format that differs greatly from your office-based workers.
Communicate the benefits
Communicate the personal, team and company benefits behind your policies.
Tell employees how the change will directly affect them. Will it entail job losses, additional training, or new procedures? Will employees personally gain or lose anything as a result of the change? How is the change related to your mission, vision or values?
You can employ a myriad of vehicles to communicate policy information. A mix of static and interactive channels works best. Newsletters, memos and e-mails are great for communicating details, but lack capacity for follow up. Small group meetings are ideally suited to solicit and provide feedback.
Practice what you preach
Demonstrate that you practice what you preach. Make sure that managers are seen implementing your policy. Otherwise, the message and messenger will lose credibility.
In addition to saying that you support this principle or that - prove it. If you say that you encourage diversity in the workplace, back your words with action and communicate the results to everyone who will listen. Articulate your diversity buying practices. Write articles about minority employees, feature photos of minority employees on your website and share your hiring numbers.
If you say that you encourage innovative thinking and risk taking, then institute programs that support the official policy: employee feedback systems, reward and recognition program, and so on.
Final word
To quote the editors of communication briefings, remember that "people are down on what they are not up on." By placing policies in context that employees can relate to, you'll shorten the adoption process and make your job a lot easier.
Rick Alcantara is founder and principal of Tara Communications LLC, a strategic public relations, marketing and Internet firm that helps organizations plan, implement and measure their communications. You can reach him at 856.740.0312.
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