Most handbooks are written for a lawyer and read by nobody. People ask HR instead, and HR answers the same question forty times a year. A policy that people can read saves everyone that time.
Why nobody reads them
Policies are long, written in formal language, and the answer to the question someone has is on page nine. So people guess, or ask a colleague who also guessed. Then two teams follow two different rules.
1. Start from real questions
Before writing, list the questions people ask about the subject. HR’s inbox is the best source. A policy that answers those questions clearly is a good policy, whatever else it leaves out.
2. Put the answer first
Open each section with the rule, then the detail. “You can claim up to the amount in the table below for a work trip” comes before the history of why the table exists.
3. Use plain words
- Use short sentences and everyday words. The UK government’s writing guidance says to split sentences over 25 words.
- Write “you” and “we”, not “the employee” and “the organisation”.
- Give an example for anything people get wrong.
- Say what to do when the policy does not fit, and who to ask.
4. Number the clauses
Numbered clauses let anyone point to the exact rule: “see clause 4.2”. It stops arguments about what the policy says, and makes changes easy to track.
5. Give it an owner and a date
Every policy needs one named owner and a date it will be reviewed. Keep each old version with the date it applied, and record who agreed to which version. When a question comes up about something that happened last year, you need last year’s rule, not today’s.
Some policies are required by law in some countries. Check which apply to you and take advice on the wording of those.
Launching a policy
Publishing a policy is not the same as people knowing it. When you add or change one, send a short note: what changed, why, and what people need to do differently. Three lines is enough. For policies people must agree to, ask for a signature and keep a record of who signed which version and when.
Start with the policies people ask about most. In most companies that means expenses, working hours, equipment and conduct. A short, clear policy on those four saves more time than a perfect policy on something nobody asks about.
6. Find the gaps
Keep track of the questions your policies could not answer. If people ask the same thing four times in a month and nothing covers it, that is the next policy to write.