The Challenge of Managing Employee Policy Acknowledgements
Ensuring Policy Compliance and Effective Policy Management
Ensuring that your employees read and understand organisation policies is a crucial aspect of maintaining a compliant and well-governed workplace. However, many organisations face significant challenges in getting their employees to confirm or acknowledge that they have read and understood these policies.
This blog explores these challenges and delves into the various methods and solutions organisations employ to address this issue.
The Importance of Policy Acknowledgement
Policies form the backbone of an organisation’s operational framework. They outline procedures, set behavioural expectations, and ensure regulatory compliance. When employees confirm their understanding of these policies, it helps mitigate risks, ensures consistency in operations, and fosters a culture of accountability.
Nonetheless, securing policy acknowledgements can be a daunting task. Employees may feel overwhelmed by the volume of documents, or they may not fully comprehend the importance of these policies or the importance of the acknowledgement process. This leads to a critical gap where employees may inadvertently breach guidelines, resulting in potential legal implications and operational disruptions.
Challenges in Getting Employee Policy Acknowledgements
Volume of Policies
One of the primary challenges an organisation faces is the sheer number of policies employees are expected to read. From Code of Conduct and IT Security to Health and Safety regulations, the list can be extensive. Employees may find it cumbersome just to find, let alone to go through all the documents, leading to procrastination or neglect.
Lack of Engagement
Policies are often written in dense, legalistic language, making them difficult to read and comprehend. This can result in a lack of engagement from employees, who may skim through the documents without fully understanding them.
Technological Barriers
In some organisations, especially those with a large remote workforce, technological barriers can hinder the acknowledgment process. Employees may face difficulties accessing policy documents due to outdated systems or lack of technical support.
Time Constraints
Employees often have demanding workloads and may struggle to find time to read through lengthy policy documents. In fast-paced environments, policy acknowledgment can be viewed as a low-priority task, further delaying the process.
Additional Challenges for Volunteer and Field Workers
When the workforce consists of volunteers or field workers who do not have organisation email addresses or accounts, the challenge of policy acknowledgment becomes even more complex.
These groups often use personal email addresses, which can lead to several issues:
Communication Barriers
Ensuring that all volunteers and field workers receive policy updates promptly can be difficult when communications are sent to personal email addresses, which may not be checked regularly.
Verification Issues
Verifying that these workers have read and understood the policies becomes more challenging without a centralised email system or organisation portal.
Data Security
Sending sensitive policy information to personal emails may raise data security concerns, as personal email accounts may not have the same level of security as organisation accounts.
Tracking and Reporting
Monitoring who has acknowledged policies is harder when tracking relies on dispersed personal email addresses rather than a unified system.
Compliance Consistency
Maintaining consistent compliance across a workforce that includes volunteers and field workers can be difficult, as these individuals might not interact with the organisation's policy management systems regularly.
How do You Implement a Policy Management Process?
Interactive Training Sessions
One effective method to ensure employees understand and acknowledge policies is through interactive training sessions. These sessions can include quizzes, videos, and group discussions to make the learning process more engaging. By actively participating, employees are more likely to retain information and appreciate the relevance of the policies.
Simplified Policy Documents
Organisations can address the challenge of dense policy language by simplifying their documents. Using clear, straightforward language and breaking down complex information into digestible sections can help employees better understand and acknowledge the policies. The capabilities that can be found in AI tools can be especially beneficial.
Policy Management Software
Implementing policy management platforms that track policy acknowledgements can streamline the process. These platforms can send automated reminders, track who has read and acknowledged the documents, and provide a centralised location for policy storage. This is particularly beneficial for distributed or large-scale organisations.
Regular Updates and Reinforcement
Regularly updating employees about key policies through newsletters, emails, or team meetings can keep the information fresh in their minds. Reinforcing the importance of policy acknowledgment through repeated communication ensures that employees remain aware and compliant.
Solutions for Effective Policy Management
What is Policy Management Software?
Investing in policy management software can significantly ease the process. These platforms offer features like version control, automated distribution, tracking, and reporting. They ensure that employees always have access to the most current policies and can easily acknowledge them.
Many of these are externally hosted platforms that provide the benefits of quick implementation and out-of-the-box features. However, externally managed platforms also have their drawbacks, as employees need to remember yet more passwords and usernames, these platforms often have limited configurability, and the acknowledgement process does not sit within their flow of work or appear in the Apps they regularly use.
A Better Alternative: Automate Policy Management with Microsoft 365
If your organisation is already using Microsoft 365, then this contains the building blocks for a sophisticated policy management solution.
By leveraging SharePoint Lists, Microsoft Stream, Power Automate and PowerApps, you can create an efficient and compliant system for managing policy acknowledgments.
Simplify Policy Wording with Copilot
Microsoft’s built-in AI product, Copilot, can be used to review your policies and to suggest changes to make them more friendly and engaging. The more your policies are engaging and easier to read, the more compliant your organisation will be.
Visualise your Policies with Microsoft Stream
Microsoft Stream is a built-in video curation and publishing platform, enabling anyone in your organisation to turn a complex policy into a simple video introduction. This does not negate the need for your employees to read the real policy, but can provide a much easier to digest introduction to the policy, explaining why it is important that the employee reads and understands it.
Managing Acknowledgements with SharePoint Lists
SharePoint Lists can serve as the backbone for tracking policy acknowledgments. To begin, create a SharePoint List that includes columns for essential details such as employee name, department, policy title, acknowledgment status, date sent and date of acknowledgment. If your policies are in SharePoint then your tracking list can contain a live link to the policy document, further enhancing the audit and evidential trail.
Automating the Process with Power Automate
Power Automate can be used to streamline the acknowledgment process by automating various tasks. For example, a workflow can be set up to automatically send an email notification to employees whenever a new policy is added to the SharePoint List. The email can include a link to the policy document and instructions for acknowledgment. This process can be used both where recipients have an organisation Microsoft 365 account and also for field workers or volunteers using personal emails.
Enriching the Process with Power Apps
Power Apps is the built-in Microsoft 365 application development platform that can be used to combine the audit and tracking capabilities of SharePoint Lists with the process automation capabilities of Power Automate, into a single easy to use App that your employees can access from their mobile, or right within their flow of work in Microsoft Teams.
Integrating Feedback with Microsoft Forms
To further enhance the process, a feedback Microsoft Form can be integrated into the process. Employees can submit their questions or comments about the policies directly through this form. Power Automate workflows can then route this feedback to the appropriate policy champions or managers, ensuring that employee input is addressed promptly.
Generating Reports with SharePoint Views
By utilising the reporting capabilities in SharePoint Lists, policy owners can easily generate reports on policy acknowledgments. These reports can provide insights into acknowledgment rates by department, identify employees who may need additional reminders, and ensure compliance across the organisation.
By combining SharePoint Lists, Microsoft Forms and Power Automate within Microsoft 365, organisations can create a robust system for managing policy acknowledgments. This approach not only simplifies the process but also enhances accountability and ensures that all employees are aligned with organisational standards.
How to ensure Compliance in the Workplace
Getting employees to confirm or acknowledge that they have read and understood organisation policies is undoubtedly a challenge, but it is a challenge that can be met with the right strategies and tools.
By simplifying policy documents, leveraging technology, and fostering a culture of compliance, organisations can ensure that their employees are well-informed, compliant in the workplace, and aligned with organisational expectations.
Ultimately, effective policy management is not just about compliance; it’s about creating a transparent, accountable, and resilient workplace.
As organisations continue to evolve, so too must their approaches to policy management, ensuring that every employee understands their role in upholding the standards that define the organisation's success.
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