Policy To Go
We love writing policy with clients. Since 2000, Footprint Directions has written Policy Documents for business, schools and NGOs in Australia. You can have policy document templates provided to you in editable formats. We can workshop them and also teach you how to manage them. These policies form the backbone of our Cultural Change Kit, released in 2009. The underpinning value is to create a fear-free, relaxed and clear workplace.
You can also boost management confidence towards policy compliance with our Assertive Management workshop.
Policy is the statement or position of intent. Your directors (members or senior executives) agree these. Of course, it's often done under pressure when an issue or incident has arisen.
The policies we use have the following basic structure:
| A. PURPOSE OF THIS POLICY (WHY) | The intention, the aim, your position |
| B. FOR WHOM IS THIS POLICY INTENDED (WHO) | It could be any stakeholder |
| C. POLICY CONTENT (WHAT EXACTLY) | "Rules of the game" |
| D. PROCEDURE (WHO & HOW) | Nitty gritty details |
| E. POLICY UPDATES (WHEN) | Schedule of updates |
| F. POLICY MGT (WHAT IF) | What triggers a change |
| G. LINKS, LEGISLATION (WHAT ELSE) | Other policies, forms, law. |
We have policy chapters in our NGO standard template. These chapters are available from $250 per chapter for a small one, or from $850* for a large one. Alternatively if ordering both policies and training services, management implementation (a formal package) policies can be supplied by license from $220 each. These chapters are as follows:
1. Governance, Directors' Management - includes reference to Australian Standards 8000-8004 (Governance)*
2. Planning and Evaluation - includes an option for Empowerment Evaluation
3. Business Policies - a handful for you to work on
4. Promotion, Reputation, IT communications - includes partnerships
5. OH&S - includes a comprehensive Risk Management Guide as an addiitonal product*
6. Service Delivery - what we do and how we do it with clients*
7. Future Directions, Our position on Sustainability and a world for our grandchildren, a green workplace
8. HR Management - recruitment, induction, workplace agreements, leave entitlements, superannuation etc.*
9. HR Development - training, supervision & support, when things go wrong - grievance, complaints management systems* discipline & misconduct, termination; an optional extra on Performance Management systems is available as an additional product*
10. Volunteering or mentoring at your workplace.
We have supplied this policy template guide (with over 200 policies available) to many NGOs and businesses. While the process of editing can take a few months or up to 18 months of consultation and review, you can usually have core workplace policies in place after just a few meetings! * Please write for specific information.
The policies have been designed to be resilient in times of change, scrutiny and assessment. They form teaching tools.... so they're detailed for you to edit in Microsoft Word(R).
To view two short one-page samples in PDF format - please download HR Grievance sample here or click for an OH&S sample here.
We have dedicated staff available to come to your office to consult with your Board, your staff and your administration staff on establishing a living policy system. We also develop risk management plans that reflect policy decisions.
Please contact jane@footprintdirections.com in the first instance.