Importance of Polices &

Procedures In the Workplace

October 2019

Samah Fathi
 Contents

What is Policy
What is Procedure
What is the difference Between Policy & Procedure
The purpose of having Polices & Procedure in Place for Petro Amir
How can we urge the staff to read the Polices & Procedures Manual
 Feedback about the interaction and understanding of PA Staff
during the interaction in the first committee formed for Polices &
Procedures Committee
 Definitions
Policy:
Principles, rules, and guidelines formulated
or adopted by an organization to reach its
long-term goals and typically published in
a booklet, manual or other form that is
widely accessible.
Procedure:
Specific methods employed to express
policies in action in day-to-day operations
of the organization. Together, policies and
procedures ensure that a point of view held
by the governing body of an organization is
translated into steps that result in an
outcome compatible with that view.
A particular way of accomplishing
something or of acting
A traditional or established way of doing
things

Policies and procedures are designed to influence and determine all major decisions
and actions, and all activities take place within the boundaries set by them.
 Policy, Process & Procedure
Policy sets out the strategic
direction of the organization as
decided by senior management.
Policy won’t give any direction on
how this vision or strategy is to
be executed.
Policies will contain statements
such as:
‘Time and attendance with be
tracked for all staff and
contractors in a clear and
consistent way.
Creating effective policies, processes and procedures eliminates mistakes
Under the policies are the
processes.
Process sets out what you do,
but not how you do it. For
Example A business process for
tracking time and attendance for
all staff, may contain something
like ‘Complete time and
attendance spreadsheet’ but give
no detail on how that is
performed.
There is an assumption that
the individual would know how
to perform the task and where
to find the appropriate materials
to do so. If further guidance is
required it should be set out in a
procedure or work instruction.
Procedure or work instruction
should detail the exact steps an
individual would need to go
through to complete any activity
detailed in a process.
Continuing on the time and
attendance theme, a procedure
may have the instruction: ‘The
time and attendance spreadsheet
can be found in the HR folder of
the network drive.
 Policies vs. Procedures

The key difference between a policy and procedure is in the outcome. For
instance, a policy defines a set of rules like workplace conduct, whereas a
procedure defines the steps you should take to onboard a new employee.

Policies are meant to remain static: they are mission-oriented rules or terms
that often describe what and why. In contrast, procedures are narrow in
focus. Procedures aim to describe how, when, and who of processes.
Policies Procedures
Have widespread application Have a narrower focus
Are subject to change and continuous
Are non-negotiable, change infrequently improvement
Are expressed in broad terms Are a more detailed description of activities
Are statements of how, when and/or who &
Are statements of what and/or why sometimes what
Answer major operational issues Detail a process
 Purpose of having Polices & Procedure

• Policies and procedures are an essential component of any organization.

• Policies are important because they address pertinent issues, such as what
constitutes acceptable behavior by employees.
• Procedures, on the other hand, clearly define a sequence of steps to be
followed in a consistent manner, these policies and procedures are rendered
useless if employers neglect to adhere to them or fail to effectively
communicate them to employees.
• Utilizing both policies and procedures during decision-making ensures that
employers are consistent in their decisions.
• Policies clearly outline what actions are unacceptable
• Procedures provide actionable steps when policies are violated
• Adhering to policies and procedures protects employees and organizations
• Not following policies exposes organizations to lawsuits
How to encourage the staff to read and follow the policies &
procedures

1) PA staff shared in writing the manual procedures in each department so it is their

efforts and appreciated outcome
2) To ensure the staff compliance an awareness sessions should be conducted and ret-tell
the employees through these sessions to which extend the Procedures are important to
the Organization and to enhance the performance and seeking the progress
3) The procedures should be accessible in the Company intranet and easy to be
comprehended
4) Reward compliance and guide stragglers
5) PA staff adherence to company policies and procedures will be considered in their
performance evaluation.