What is a Human Resources Policy?

A Human Resources Policy (or “HR Policy”) describes a company’s standards and processes in place for employing its staff (e.g., to hire, train, manage, assess). Please remember that it is not enough to adopt a policy - policies like these should also be clearly communicated and made available to all staff. The policy should be regularly reviewed to reflect changes to internal operations, regulations, and the business environment - this is particularly important for young companies and startups that tend to grow and evolve quickly over time.

How should I use the template?

This template presents a core structure alongside human resource topics that are relevant to most companies. Each section offers specific instructions on what companies should include per topic and lists policy language they can adapt. The template addresses topics such as:

• harassment and discrimination,
• work hours and compensation,
• talent management (hiring, retention and retrenchment),
• data protection and privacy,
• employee confidentiality,
• workplace health and safety,
• child and forced labour,
• human rights,
• drugs and narcotics abuse,
• grievance mechanisms,
• collective bargaining and worker organizations, and
• 3rd party labour rights.

Note that the template is merely a starting point! Some topics may be more important to you than others, and there may be topics that are unique to your company that the template doesn’t address. Use the template as a basis to make changes to match your characteristics and structures, as well as language and style.