Every business or organisation, no matter how big or how small…should have a manual of policies and procedures.

Policies are usually simple statements setting out how your business or organisation will conduct itself.  They don’t need to be long or complicated, just a guide to help with decision making.

Procedures are usually more detailed as they are the roadmap for implementing the policies of your business or organisation.  Procedures should include details of who does what, the steps required and include templates of any documents or forms which should be used.

A manual of policies and procedures is an important tool for a number of reasons:

– they give a workplace structure and a means for employees to measure their own performance

– they provide guidance and can be used in situations of training new staff or as a reference material for when “the boss is away”

– they can assist in times of emergency (professional, personal or natural disaster) to help keep a workplace operational

Small businesses may find standard policies and procedures on their state government business website, and non-profit organisations can access templates from a number of community websites…these can usually be adapted as required but provide a good starting point (much better than staring at a blank page!)

With particular emphasis on the area of finance – if you’d like to conduct a review of policies and procedures (either those already implemented or to look at what might be missing) within your business or organisation, or you’d like to introduce a policy and procedure manual, please contact The Tax Chic to arrange a consultation.

Regards