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Are you being affected by bad policy implementation?

It’s not clever to have bad policy implementation

Your business may have policies which are in place but you’ve not noticed a lot of difference in the work-force. More times than not; this is due to improper implementation.  Here are some blocks and barriers to converting HR policies into practice by line managers:

  1. Lack of identification with management goals. These can also be known as reluctant managers. These people may have doubts about the validity of the management’s decisions, as well as being doubtful about adopting certain techniques like employee involvement. They may also feel threatened by empowerment by those who have built their authority and technical experience and have an ‘I have seen this all before’ approach.
  2. Competing priorities and work overload. Usually, there is a lack of reward for managers who implement these HR policies and therefore feel they are not getting anything out of this. This usually leads to it becoming a low priority and will just concentrate on achieving targets that will be assessed in their appraisals.
  3. Lack of knowledge and skills and insufficient training. This one is self-explaining and is when a manager has a lack of knowledge in HR work and companies in the UK are known to have a history of low investment when it comes to learning and development and often want changes to be implemented quickly without L&D and little opportunity for managers to practice skills.  
  4. Disdain for HR work. Some managers will look at HR and believe it is all common sense or from experience and will tell people they don’t need training as it is not necessary.
  5. Inconsistencies in the application of HR policies. Managers like to be able to have the flexibility to adopt rules to suit them and their ‘favourites’. They will vary the application of the rules, provide leeway to some in order to reward or discipline selectively. This creates inconsistency in the implementation of the policies; as well as not realising when rules have been broken when out of office for example.

Often companies will need help with proper implementation and it is important to find the problems behind the lack of implementation. If you need help reviewing your policies, implementing your policies, or dealing with the consequences of the policies then please contact us to arrange a consultation.  

Sophie Rowland, 03 Nov '17