{"id":1535,"date":"2020-07-27T13:01:15","date_gmt":"2020-07-27T17:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/?p=1535"},"modified":"2020-07-27T16:05:57","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T20:05:57","slug":"cheat-sheet-7-tips-for-handbook-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/cheat-sheet-7-tips-for-handbook-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheat Sheet: 7 Tips for Handbook Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Photo by Jamie Templeton<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Feeling hesitant about taking the handbook updating plunge? We know it\u2019s hard. Before diving head-first into our complete How to Write Policies and Procedures<\/a> guide, test the waters with these top tips for writing policies and procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

  1. Work smart before you start.<\/strong> It\u2018s tempting to let things shake out as you go, but as they say, \u201can ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.\u201d Invest time in the planning stages. What\u2019s your objective and criteria for success? Who\u2019s on your team? When are you going to launch? By knowing the project\u2019s scope early, you\u2019ll be better positioned to identify helpful teammates, potential roadblocks, and how to execute your plan to your stakeholders\u2019 delight.

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  2. Mull over your medium.<\/strong> Early on, decide whether you\u2019ll distribute your handbook via print, electronic document (PDF), or policy management software. Not only will this inform your distribution and launch process, it may change how you write your content. For example, if you\u2019re doing what all the cool kids are doing (using software), you may be able to include images or video, read-more buttons<\/a>, or personalized content<\/a>. Know before you go!

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  3. Find value in viewpoints. <\/strong>Though it\u2019s best to keep your core team small, consider different perspectives as value-adds rather than hindrances. Marketing can provide branding ideas or culture content, IT can advise on software and security issues, and attorneys can identify areas in need of legal attention. Take advantage of the resources around you.

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  4. Accommodate your audience.<\/strong> It\u2019s easy to get caught up in what you need to communicate, but it\u2019s imperative that your audience comprehends it, too. Your policies and procedures should also tell employees the value of the policy. Does it enhance workplace safety or promote work-life balance? Include the ultimate benefit to employees (i.e. what\u2019s in it for them).

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  5. Eliminate ambiguity. <\/strong>Articulate your policies as distinctly as possible. Words like \u201cmay\u201d or \u201cshould\u201d imply that something is optional, whereas \u201cmust\u201d and \u201care required to\u201d eliminate uncertainty. If policies only apply to a segment of your employees, make sure this is clearly identifiable. Make compliance easy.

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  6. Embrace the design phase.<\/strong> Design isn\u2019t just one more thing holding you back from launch; instead, it can add life to your text. For example, a procedure can be made more appealing if graphics illustrate each step of the process. Call-out boxes can guide readers to important takeaways. Get pretty with it!

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  7. Communicate and celebrate.<\/strong> As you\u2019re working toward a final product, don\u2019t forget your communication plan. Minor, non-controversial updates can often be launched without much fanfare, but significant changes warrant more strategic conversation and potentially, sign off by employees. If this is the case, link your communication with an existing event or channel where you know employees will be paying attention.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    If you still have the handbook heebie-jeebies, that\u2019s okay. You can read the complete guide to writing policies<\/a> when you\u2019re ready; in the meantime, we\u2019re here if you want to talk about it<\/a>. Plop down on our figurative couch!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Feeling hesitant about taking the handbook updating plunge? We know it\u2019s hard. Before diving head-first into our complete How to Write Policies and Procedures guide, test the waters with these top tips for writing policies and procedures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,32,23,25,47,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blissbook-updates","category-change-management","category-cya","category-employee-handbooks","category-handbook-content","category-policy-management"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1535"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1545,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1535\/revisions\/1545"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}