Develop policies and procedures to ensure team members take responsibility

for own work and assist others to undertake required roles and
responsibilities
By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
 Outline policies and procedures for the workplace

 Identify policies and procedures that enable responsibility-taking

 Provide policies and procedures that encourage responsibility in roles.

Policies and procedures

Policies and procedures provide the backbone for your organisation’s functions; without them work
and employees would not be governed, and practices would prove inconsistent. Policies provide the
rules to guide employees and include legal, ethical and organisational requirements. Procedures
translate policies into real working processes and practices; they provide a means to ensure work is
carried out to required standards.

Workplace policies and procedures will be developed by high-level management with the different
work departments to ensure that each area of work has been assessed correctly. Managers in work
areas can provide on-the-floor guidance to how work needs to be carried out.

Make sure that policies and procedures in your department are effective and support your team at
work. They should allow employees to develop into their work roles and responsibilities so they can
continue developing skills and are able to reach their full potential.

Policies and procedures cover work requirements such as:

 Codes of conduct

 Legal requirements and ethical standards

 Health and safety

 Risk management

 Confidentiality

 Access and equity

 Communication processes and protocols

 Training and workplace instruction

 Human resources, e.g. employee performance management and work hours.

 Codes of conduct
A code of conduct outlines the behaviours and responsibilities of an individual employee and the
organisation as a whole. It is often found in the employee handbook and it defines what the
organisation considers to be acceptable behaviour. It also provides a framework for ethical decision
making. A code of conduct does not need to be complicated; it should simply inform the employee
of organisational expectations. The code of conduct will act as a protection for the organisation in
the event that an employee’s contract has to be terminated.

A workplace code of conduct should:

 Be clear

 Promote business values

 Be specific

 Be flexible

 Take individual circumstances into account.

Codes of conduct will differ between organisations. However, they will all contain behaviour
guidelines that are consistent with organisational policies and values.

Work health and safety

Work health and safety (WHS)/occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation needs to be followed
by all businesses. This ensures that mechanisms are in place to protect employees and employers
within the workplace from risks to health and safety.

Both employers and employees are subject to rights and responsibilities in the workplace under
WHS/OHS. This is to ensure the safety of all people and to establish mutually beneficial working
arrangements.

Employers must:
 Provide a safe workplace
 Provide safe equipment
 Provide:
o training

o information

o supervision

 Provide adequate and suitable facilities, where required

 Check and maintain WHS systems and procedures
 Provide personal protective equipment (PPE), where required.

Employees must:
 Work safely
  Wear PPE, where required
 Follow safety procedures and requirements
 Not destroy or compromise equipment and resources
 Not interfere with safety equipment
 Not act in a way that compromises their own safety, or that of colleagues, clients,
and the public
 Report any WHS:
o issues

o hazards

o injuries

o accidents

o near misses

o concerns.

Responsible working
Policies and procedures need to enable and facilitate responsible working. This includes maintaining
personal safety and the safety of others in the workplace. It includes managing workloads to prevent
team members working additional hours on a regular basis, and to prevent the occurrence of
workplace stress.

Roles and responsibilities

Employees must identify, understand and live up to their responsibilities and duties in order for a
workplace to function effectively.

Responsibilities and duties may include:

 Interacting with colleagues and external contacts

 Job description and employment arrangements

 Organisation’s policy relevant to work role

 Skills, training and competencies

 Supervision and accountability requirements including work health and safety

 Environmentally sustainable working practices

 Team structures.
 Job description and employment arrangements
A job description is a written statement of a particular job that helps employees to understand their
role. It is usually based on the findings of a job analysis and can be used when measuring the
worker’s performance.

A job description may include:

 Job title

 Responsibilities and duties

 Reporting requirements

 Working conditions

 Required qualifications

 Desired skills

 Information regarding wages.

Employment arrangements are a formal agreement regarding working hours

that suit the organisation’s needs. There are many different types of
employment arrangements.

Employment arrangements may include:

 Full time

 Part time

 Casual

 Fixed term

 Commission.

Flexible employment arrangements are essential in fulfilling work activities and

in achieving economic growth. They also show an organisation’s compliancy to cater for diverse
employees who may have other commitments out of the workplace.

Skills, training, and competencies

Worker skills are essential for the achievement of qualifications and experience. They can also
increase the chances of successful development in the workplace.

Skills should allow an employee to:

 Get along with their colleagues

 Develop respect

 Solve problems

 Make critical decisions

 Become a strong part of an organisation.

 Examples of skills include:
 Interpersonal skills

 Technology skills

 Communication skills

 Presentation skills

 Numeracy skills.

Employee training is essential for the success of an organisation. It provides an opportunity for
expansion of the employee’s knowledge.

Training is important because:

 It provides an opportunity for education about the effective use of technology

 A consistency of employee knowledge can be developed

 Skills can be improved

 Qualifications can be obtained

 Productivity and profitability can be improved

 Health and safety can be promoted

 Opportunities for career development can be created

 It is part of laws and regulations.

Workplace competencies should be used in order to define and measure the

effectiveness of particular employees. A workplace competency describes
the required characteristics, behaviours, attributes, or skills for success in a
specific job role. They provide employees with clear guidance regarding
performance expectations. They also highlight behaviours that are valued by
organisations. There are lots of different competencies within the
workplace. It is essential to know which ones are relevant to your team and
your organisation.

Accountability requirements
Accountability in the workplace is concerned with taking responsibility for
ones actions; it also means providing accountability for the work that is
done. All employees should be accountable for the work that they do and
ensure they follow the correct procedures and take care to maintain health
and safety. Work should be documented to show evidence of actions and to
provide the organisation with workplace records.
 For example, employees should:
 Be present for their shifts and complete assigned tasks

 Ensure health and safety of self and others

 Fulfil the organisation’s goals

 Perform their required duties.

The employee should accept responsibility for the completion of tasks and functions. They should be
prepared to face the consequences of poor performance.

Environmentally sustainable working practices

All organisations should recognise the importance of working in environmentally responsible ways. It
is an employee’s responsibility to follow environmentally friendly practices and minimise their
impact on the environment. Environmentally sustainable work practices reduce harm to the
environment and ensure that resources aren’t unnecessarily wasted.

Environmentally sustainable work practices may include:

 Reducing waste

 Re-using materials when possible

 Recycling relevant materials

 Disposing of waste responsibly

 Minimising energy waste

 Avoiding air or water pollution.

Team structures
Team structures relate to the composition of organisational work groups. A good team structure
should promote teamwork and have clear leadership. Each team member should commit to their
specific role in order to maintain effective teamwork. It is an employee’s responsibility to identify,
understand, and demonstrate their roles. Work activities should be undertaken in ways which
promote cooperation and good relationships.