Hosted policy & procedure software is software which is used by companies to manage their organisations internal handbook. These handbooks usually outline the various guiding principals as well as rules and what does and does not constitute acceptable behaviour.
So why manage the policies online? The primary reasons can vary but there are three main reasons organisations decide to go paperless.
1. If the organisation has policies that change regularly
Some organisations in particular those that work in regulated markets such as finance, oil & gas and public sector such as hospitals, local authorities, town councils can have regular policy updates.
These updates may not only constitute a small proportion of the overall policy & procedure rule book. However it is often important that the information is quickly distributed and that management are able to get reassurance that it has been understood and implemented.
2. Compliance for legal or industry standards
There is much government legislation to comply with. In particular anti-corruption legislation such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the US and the Anti bribery act in the UK have very clear requirements. These include but aren’t limited to the requirement to provide proof that all employees have not only read policies but that they have also understood them.
If your organisation is considering or has already attained industry recognition such as ISO27001 or similar then moving to policy and procedure software will make initial audit and review audits significantly easier.
3. To reduce paperwork & save time
Chasing employees for signatures and maintaining lists of who’s signed what in Excel spreadsheets is time consuming and takes focus away from core priorities. Filing cabinets full of paperwork take up space which costs money. If those employees are spread over multiple offices then the problem is multiplied.