by Laura Card
Thomas DeMatteo, chief legal officer of ABC Companies, says that an organization’s policies should be applicable to the operator’s business model while allowing room for adaptation:
- Policies should be applicable – Policies pulled from Google or copied from free legal sites don’t always apply to your business
- Policies should be appropriately detailed – If a policy is not detailed enough, it doesn’t apply. If it’s too detailed, your organization will have no room to move
- Policies should be implemented correctly
- Present policies during employee orientation and document acknowledgment of policies
- Establish a process for reporting violations
- Implement progressive disciplinary policies
- Policies should incorporate relevant trends:
- EEOC: gender discrimination, Me Too Movement, harassment and bullying
- Leaves of absence, such as paid family leave and sick leave
- Equal pay and wage discrimination, including gender equity, applications and recruiting, sales history and exempt vs. non-exempt overtime
- Distracted driving, independent contractors and hours of service
- Smoke-free workplaces, including e-cigarettes and vaping
- Weapons in parking lots or conceal and carry
