HR Essentials Series: Part 5: Shaping Desirable Employee Conduct

Workplaces are becoming more diverse everyday. With diversity, comes the need for inclusion. While there are no explicit rules on required levels of tolerance, inclusive, appropriate and acceptable employee behaviours and conduct in the workplace can expose employers to significant risk is left unchecked.

Employee conduct is governed by the policies, procedures and cultural norms of the company. Having a small workforce is no excuse for not covering basic mandatory employee conduct. Failure to formally document and implement acceptable practices, policies and progressive discipline can be costly for employers.

To mitigate and manage risk, we recommend policies that cover the A-B-Cs:

Acceptable methods and frequency of communication

Behavior that is acceptable, unacceptable and progressive discipline

Common questions that employees may ask

 Often policies and procedures are viewed as restrictive and traditional. However, done correctly, the ‘right’ policies can help you create and maintain the desired employee behaviours to support your culture and business.  

Follow our series on Medium HERE