It’s one of those jobs that has to be done, but that you really don’t relish – reviewing your company documents, policies and guidelines. When you first set up your business, you would have created documents covering all the aspects of the company that needed to be set down on paper, and at the bottom of each, you will have dutifully added a footnote with a review date on it. Now you’ve been going a few years, the time has crept by, and you realize those dates are upon you. What do you do? It may be time to get organized and review all your documents to keep on track.
Taking control of unloved chores
One way of managing these jobs is to come at them from a different angle. What benefits will you get out of updating your policies? They are there for a reason, or at least they should be. If they aren’t performing a quantifiable and useful function and aren’t in place to fulfill a legal requirement, now’s the chance to get rid of them. For what remains, view your revision task as a benefit, because you should be able to gain some useful information from active documents. For example, checking procedural instructions may highlight a stage that is being missed or done incorrectly, which you will then be able to rectify. You also need to check that documents are up to date with legislative changes and that they contain accurate information. It’s only if the documents are current and correct that they will be of use to your team, and if they are not being referred to, then they aren’t doing you much good. You can find some great resources online, for example, HR Tips for performing policy audits that will help you get to grips with the task and make sure everything that needs to be checked gets looked at.
Some things have to be done whether you like it or not….
Like most things in life, there are downsides to running a business. You can’t enjoy a delicious three-course meal at home without someone having to clear up and do the dishes afterward. Similarly, although you love being in business, there will always be something that needs doing which that may be time-consuming and frustrating. It’s very often the admin side of things that entrepreneurs find burdensome because they would rather be out drumming up a new business, but in order to run your company effectively and efficiently, you simply have to do these irksome tasks. If there are aspects of the work that could be done by members of your team, then delegate – they may well be better placed than you to conduct reviews in certain areas. Of course, if you have the finance in place and it makes good business sense, then outsourcing could be the answer for many of these jobs, and it’s certainly an option that’s worth exploring.
Try thinking of reviewing your documents as a positive step that will help your business run more smoothly. Like any other chore, it will still be there tomorrow, so clear it off your to-do list, and you’ll feel a lot better for it.
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