Sports have various rules that all participants have to follow. There can be no good game of any sport if participants do not abide by them. Rules to the game are what policies are to a business — the constraints and framework that give conditions for every party to strive for success.
Keep in mind that spoken instructions rarely do what they are supposed to at the office. That is why writing down a few policies can help you and your team members stay on the path to success.
Business security policy
According to companies’ information security requirements, corporate security policies establish a basis for consistently performing security-related duties.
It often happens that these policies go beyond the IT department borders. They often cover areas of finances, human resources, and legal departments with the aim of reporting issues and addressing compliance, which is specific to a given industry.
Therefore, an organization demonstrates its security consciousness to stockholders and customers by having a solid security policy.
Keep in mind that security policies usually belong to one of the three categories below:
- Administrative policies are procedural measures that control information security points which can’t be otherwise enforced.
- Physical policies cover security measures implemented through physical controls (controlled room access, door locks, etc.).
- Technical policies are measures that exist to protect resources and data at the operating system level. These include all of the NTFS permissions as well as security templates.
Keep your business safe
Now, let’s talk about ISMS for a moment, which can help your security policy significantly. This is important if you want your business to stay safe from cybercriminals.
So, what is ISMS? It is a systematic approach that consists of technology, processes, and people that use effective risk management to help manage and protect their organization’s information.
It also enables compliance with a range of laws, including the EU GDPR, and aims at protecting three key aspects of information:
- Confidentiality – information not disclosed or available to processes, entities, or people that are unauthorized.
- Integrity – information that is safe from corruption, accurate, and complete.
- Availability – information that is accessible and usable by people that hold necessary credentials.
You should also think about ISO 27001, which is the standard that is globally used, covers the compliance requirements, and provides the specification for a best-practice ISMS.
Hopefully, you now recognize how beneficial this kind of policy can be for you and your business, so do your best to implement it.
Social media policy
We have seen how the cancel culture can work for a good cause, but we have also seen some examples where it unjustifiably destroyed good individuals and businesses online to the point where all their online presence was erased.
To stop this scenario from happening to you or your colleagues, you should implement a good social media policy. Just because 63% of Americans state that their companies have none does not mean that you shouldn’t come up with one too.
However, know that a social media policy is not just a mere set of rules that limit how an individual can use Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. No, a policy of this kind guides, advises and inspires in the best and worst-case scenarios.
You should do your best to craft a good social media policy for your organization because a social media policy can prevent a PR crisis. It will also allow you to act fast if a crisis or breach happens. It helps you treat legal and regulatory sensitivities with awareness. Most of all, it maintains your brand identity across channels and encourages your team members to stand behind your brand message.
It would be wise to also use various social media tools that can help you and your team members be efficient on all platforms while still following the policy rules.
There are great tools made for various platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram. For instance, good LinkedIn automation tools can help you and your employees remain compliant and still be productive and efficient at the office.
These tools usually automate many dull tasks, some even help with content creation, so they are definitely worth your time.
Business code of conduct
As a business owner, you should have clear rules of play for your employees. Of course, you should stick to those rules too.
So, communicate your expectations through an employee code of conduct that is clear and concise. It is important that you communicate these rules clearly to ensure compliance. And, most of your employees will be aware that you mean it.
Keep in mind that misunderstandings happen even when we all have good intentions. It often happens that employees make mistakes even when they want to do something inherently good.
That is why having a code of conduct (in written form) that has all crucial elements such as attendance, or using office resources should be a top priority for your business.
Rules have to be accessible and clear to everyone. This means that employees should be able to consult them when they are not sure of what exactly is good behavior.
Also, if you need to terminate someone’s employment, there should be a proper record. This could protect you from legal troubles should the person try to take your business to court.
Disciplinary action policy
Unfortunately, problems will occur at work. It becomes easier to deal with problems such as this one when you have a solid disciplinary policy.
Team members at the office should know in what way and on what conditions they are going to be reprimanded. To make sure you give everyone a treatment that is appropriate, you will need a process that is standardized. Also, this way, you will be someone who values actions that are remedial but also never tolerates violations.
Leave of absence policy
Employees are absent from work every now and then. The reasons range from personal ones to health issues and vacation plans.
It doesn’t matter if it is mandated by law or not, but it’s good to let your employees know in advance about the benefits your business offers. There are various types of leave and most of them need a different approach when handling.
So, make sure you have all rules about absences and make sure you have it all in writing. This kind of action will be fair both for you as the business owner and your employees.
Final words
Hopefully, you are now aware of how important it is to have various policies in place at the office. Go through this mini-guide again and think well about the whole situation. See your business needs and determine what to implement and how you can do it.
