Good Policies are worth more than the paper – er storage media – they are written on. Write your policies with the risk appetite of the business firmly in mind. A policy is only ever worth having if it is:

–  Read by everyone
–  Understood by everyone
–  Put into practice every day

Policies should start with WHY we are doing this so that everyone know the intention. Once that is known, then even if circumstances change, people trying to comply with the policy will be able to work out what to do to achieve the desired outcome as opposed to blindly following a set of steps.

Great policies help people to make the right decisions. Here is an example of a great policy on social media usage.

The WHY?

So that our brand and reputation is upheld when our company is identified on social media.

The Policy:

Don’t Lie, Don’t Pry
Don’t Cheat, Can’t Delete
Don’t Steal, Don’t Reveal

This 12 word policy says it all, and has become very well known since The Mayo clinic published it. You can read the whole policy here.

A social media policy is as important to your business as any of the policies that guide the behaviour and routines of staff.