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PC or not PC - that's the question?
‘Political correctness’ or being seen to be ‘politically correct’ is increasingly viewed as a curse within our modern society. The desire to rid our culture of the discrimination of marginalised groups has often gone far beyond the original remit. The same could be said for ‘health and safety.’ Many would claim it’s all done more harm than good. But take care, in your attempt to sidestep these things, not to ‘throw the baby out with the bath water.’
The modern day workplace is awash with all kinds of rules and regulations that appear, on the face of it, to positively discriminate towards certain individuals and groups, e.g. employees and, at the same time, negatively discriminate against others, namely employers. Benefits and freedoms for employees seem to have increased pro-rata to the problems and red tape encountered by employers. Employers can end up feeling that staff can get away with all sorts of things and their hands are tied to do anything about it. In this environment it’s easy for a ‘them and us’ culture to develop, fuelled by a level of resentment on both sides.
However, it really doesn’t have to be that way at all. It all starts with your vision and values for your company and for everyone in it who plays a part in helping you to achieve your goals. How much of a statement are you prepared to make, not only about the value you place on your employees, but also on yourself and your position and responsibility as an employer?
Once your company values have been established, one way to positively communicate these to staff is to set up your company staff policies. This may, at first, seem like yet more red tape to put in place and gather dust at the back of a cupboard somewhere, but don’t be put off by the prospect of doing the initial work.
Having a staff handbook containing policies that are pertinent to your particular company can reap rewards for you, your staff and consequently your business, if used in the right way. The key thing is that this process should be seen as part of the whole holistic strategy of the business and not something done in isolation. No-one wants an imposed set rules and regulations for the sake of it. It undermines trust and co-operation between employers and staff and undermines the company values you are wanting to qualify.
So what is the point and why bother?
One thing to remember is that staff policies aren’t just for the protection of employees, they also protect employers. There are certain aspects of UK Employment Law that any reputable business must adhere to. These will include equal opportunities, absence management, anti-harrassment, disciplinary procedures, and so on.
There are also contractural issues to cover including terms and conditions of employment, health and safety at work, time-keeping, performance capability, etc. Individuals have a contractual responsibility to perform to a satisfactory level and should be given every help and encouragement to do so. Employers have a responsibility for setting realistic and measurable standards of performance and for explaining these standards to their employees. Staff policies can aid this procedure.
The point is, if you have a clearly stated and written set of policies that can easily be referred to by everyone within the company, then there is no room for dispute and misinterpretation should anything occur in the workplace.
For example, disciplinary procedure. Now, in an ideal situation, your recruitment policy should be such that you’ve done your best to employ the right people to fit your company culture in the first place, and so reduced the likelihood of needing to implement a disciplinary procedure. However, things do go wrong from time to time, even within the most co-operative group of individuals, and this is where a set policy that clearly aligns with Employment Law, comes into its own.
All employees should be given the opportunity to read your Disciplinary Procedure policy during their induction period or as early as possible in their employment (and don’t forget to make sure they sign to confirm that they have read it). This will inform them of what to expect, step by step, and what their rights are. It will also inform them of your rights, as an employer, in the process and what the possible outcomes might be should the situation and their behaviour continue.
The same principle obviously applies to your other company policies. Not all of them will be to do with discipline or grievance issues. What about data protection; your communications policy; staff training and development? You may think that these are unnecessary but, if nothing else, they state quite clearly your commitment to your staff and their welfare, and the importance you put on the values and reputation of your company. Your staff are your representatives, at whatever level they are employed, and you put your trust in them to do this responsibly.
The real benefit is that having clearly defined policies in place is that they become both a support and a buffer. Putting the initial work in will reduce speculation or ambiguity later. Should a problem or issue occur, then there will already be something in place to refer to rather than having to go through a lot of ‘head scratching’ and wondering what to do.
Don’t forget that legislation changes from time to time. For example, are you clear on the current maternity and paternity rights of employees? Are you up to date with retirement policy, flexible working and the work-life balance? If not, then it’s time to make sure you know what your obligations are, because all of these issues will have an affect on the operation of your business and the decisions you will need to make. These things can’t be avoided. Having your policies in place - and up to date - will keep you abreast of what’s happening in the workplace and reinforce staff confidence in you as a responsible employer.
So, is it all just political correctness gone wrong? Not if you are that responsible employer. Not if you care about your staff and not if you care about your business and its reputation. Remember that branding is the culmination of a person’s experience of your company, good or bad - that’s every person’s experience. Responsible brand strategy will ensure, as far as it’s in your power to do so, that each and every experience is a good one.
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