How to Communicate Workplace Rules

Employers are obligated to have some work rules in place. They can also adopt optional rules for employees. However, having work regulations is useless unless employees are aware of them and comprehend them completely. 

It's crucial to clearly communicate work rules to employees, as doing so helps them understand and makes it easier to enforce the rules.

When deciding how to ensure that workers understand the expectations for conduct at work, you should take the following factors into account:

• The best time to communicate the work rules: Before employees have a chance to break the rules, you must ensure that your staff are aware of them. You should also remind them regularly.

• Oral communication: Oral communication enables you and the staff to exchange ideas. It's not easy to record a conversation, though, and be sure that all sides have agreed on the outcome. Oral communication is typically the best option for small organisations where the employer and employees need a lot of flexibility in how they interact.

• Written communication: Writing down your policies, procedures, and expectations for employees offers various benefits, including proving that you have informed them of the work rules and clarifying what you expect of them. However, keep in mind that it will be pretty challenging to amend a rule that is in writing.

When should you communicate work rules?

Occasionally, it makes sense to share your policies or standards of conduct:

• During onboarding: The easiest method to ensure employees have a smooth start in your company is to provide them with the work rules upfront. Employees may be less likely to break the rules if they are aware of them. How you convey your policies and guidelines will depend on how detailed your orientation process is.

• Discipline when a worker breaks the rules: You may want to review your policy again to ensure the employee understands them as part of any discipline or counselling process you may have in place if a new or established employee breaks a rule. Even if the employee might have been aware that there was a policy against whatever they did, it never hurts to reiterate your expectations to the individual. Ask if the worker has any queries on the rule or policy.

• When a worker asks questions about policies or practices: Workers could be unsure of what to do or how to manage a particular circumstance. Your staff members should know they can request clarification of any work rules.

• When rules or policies are modified or added: It's a good idea to inform employees in writing if you change or add any restrictions to your code of conduct. Post something on the bulletin board, circulate an email, or make an announcement. Ensure that everyone is aware of what constitutes appropriate conduct at all times.

How do you communicate work rules?

Your workplace policies can be expressed verbally or in writing. Both approaches have benefits and drawbacks.

Oral communication

There are various benefits to communicating your work policies and expectations orally, including:

• It enables conversation between you and the worker.

• It enables staff members to ask questions right away.

• As opposed to a written notice, it is more personal.

• If you believe there is a valid justification in a particular circumstance, you can be fairly lenient in permitting exceptions to the work rules.

• If you believe it's essential, you can change the work rules.

Relying on oral transmission of policies has a drawback, though. When enforcing a company policy, it will not be easy to prove that an employee was aware of a policy when only an oral discussion occurred.

Tips for effective oral communication

Use these suggestions to make your talk as effective as possible if you choose to explain your policies and work requirements verbally:

• Ensure you've provided enough time for the employee to learn about the policies. Usually, this happens right after they're employed.

• To ensure that you don't forget anything, list the policies and guidelines you want to review with the employee.

• Clarify why you have to take the time to explain workplace standards and expectations.

• Take the situation seriously; if you treat your policies lightly, your staff will do the same.

• Whenever feasible, provide staff with an explanation of the rationale for your standards and regulations.

• Embrace the employee's queries and offer concise, consistent responses. Make it obvious that employees can ask you questions concerning the rules and policies at any time if they don't have any at the time of the discussion.

Written communication

Some employees do not like to have things in writing as they think it ties them to an accord to which they do not want to be held. In many instances, they are, in fact, correct. However, there are various benefits to putting your rules and standards of conduct in writing, including:

• You can ensure that everyone receives the same information as they are formalised.

• You can easily point out when an employee violates the work rules.

• Ensure that each employee signs a receipt after receiving a copy of the rules so you can prove that every employee is aware of the workplace regulations.

To ensure that there can be no doubt if the rules need to be enforced one day, employers can choose to document the rules when the staff receive them.

You can also use handbooks to communicate company policies 

Employee handbooks are a means to ensure that everyone is aware of the company policies, but they can cause legal issues.

A handbook is a document created to explain your company's work policies to your employees. A handbook is probably unnecessary if you have a small number of employees, a limited number of policies, or just a short list of general workplace guidelines. 

To ensure that your staff members know what is expected of them, you might wish to make a formal handbook if you have intricate policies and procedures.