Corporate Training By Zack Academy - Basics of Writing Policies and Procedures

Why Should You Take This Basics of Writing Policies and Procedures Workshop?

This unique, one-day Basics of Writing Policies and Procedures workshop will teach you how to write policies and procedures clearly. You will no longer run into problems with confused employees. You'll learn how to adapt to company changes, revise procedures, and edit existing resources you have. Others will no longer misinterpret or ignore the policies and procedures you write. In just six information-packed hours, you'll learn valuable techniques we've gathered after months of studying and comparing written policies from firms of all types and sizes.

The first step is to sharpen your writing skills. We'll teach you the keys to keeping your text clear and concise, how to word policies and procedures so they don't sound patronizing or condescending, and, just as importantly, how to eliminate loopholes that make it easy for employees to "bend" the rules.

You'll also learn valuable time-saving tips for writing rule books, application forms, procedures manuals and other critically important materials. You'll find out what you must include and what you must leave out to protect yourself legally, information no professional can afford to be without in today's fast-changing business world.

As an extra bonus, you'll get a one-of-a-kind update on how companies are writing policies and procedures covering OSHA regulations and safety guidelines, performance evaluations, ADA job descriptions, and other important issues in the field of company policies and procedures. It's valuable insight you could never expect to gather on your own . . . insight you'll gain here in just one powerful day.

Finally — and we've found many of our customers value this part the most — we'll teach you the secrets to getting employees to read and understand the policies you've given them, a no-nonsens system that will work at all levels, from clerical through senior management. (The best part about this new technique is you can use it without seeming pushy, and it won't take up a lot of anyone's time.)

Syllabus

Putting Policies and Procedures in Writing:

• How to determine what policies and procedures should be put in writing
• Legal considerations to keep in mind when writing policies and procedures
• When you have to write a policy fast — a 6-point checklist to make sure you"ve covered all the bases
• 3 sure signs that a policy or procedure needs to be revised
• A proven formula for determining if a policy or procedure is discriminatory
• When should "unwritten" rules be put in writing? Signals to watch for
• The best way to handle changes in your company"s policies and procedures
• What"s the real purpose of writing policies and procedures? Experts share their views

Writing Policies Everyone Will Understand:

• How to keep your personal feelings from affecting how you phrase a policy
• 3 common types of policies every company has and pitfalls to watch for when wording each
• How to write dress codes or personal hygiene guidelines that don"t offend anyone
• The secret to writing policies and procedures that sound friendly, yet firm
• How to use the simple "HISI" test to ensure the clarity of everything you write
• How to use simple graphic techniques to make handbooks and manuals easy to read
• 2 times when it"s better not to put a policy in writing . . . and why

Implementing Policies With Ease:

• Announcing a new policy? When to use a memo and when to use a meeting
• How to defend policies employees feel are silly or trite
• A terrific way to update manuals or handbooks without re-writing them
• An amazingly simple plan for making sure employees read — and understand — the policies and procedures you write
• When announcing a policy verbally . . . how to be sure everyone gets the same message
• How many rules are too many rules? You"ll be surprised by what employees told us
• 2 situations in which you should ask for employees" signatures as proof they"ve read and understood a policy
• Where policies and procedures should be kept — and how they should be controlled

Meeting Company Writing Needs:

• The key to writing employee performance evaluations that will make formal reviews less stressful
• 2 simple, but vital, elements often left out of procedures manuals
• 3 questions you should never include on employment application forms . . . and why
• Mindmapping: What it is and how it"ll help make writing policies and procedures a breeze
• A 3-step formula for writing concise and accurate job descriptions . . . and keeping them up to date
• Flow-charting techniques that can reduce 3 typewritten pages to a single page
• Rules of thumb for writing disclaimers — and when you need to