Reviewing, updating and distributing policies and procedures doesn’t have to be as time-consuming as it sounds…
If you’re doing it correctly that is.
As schools take measures to limit the spread of Covid, effective policy and procedure management has become even more pertinent. So, with regulations and best practice constantly evolving, what can schools do to ensure they are compliant with latest changes?
We’ve seen documents stored on an intranet. We’ve even seen schools attach policies to payslips to make sure employees read them. This is all fun and games until it comes to knowing whether they’ve been read, and how can these methods be evidenced during an audit?
Whether you’re a small primary, large secondary or a MAT, there’s no excuse for not effectively managing how you keep track of and distribute policies.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the key stages of policy and procedure management and how this can be made more straight-forward with software.
Identifying policies in need of updates
Where necessary, it’s best to schedule time in frequently to check for any potential changes that need making. Learn more about how and when school policies should be reviewed in HCB Solicitor’s blog (1).
As a general rule however, policies should be reviewed every three years. With everything going on now though, experts have advised reviewing documents annually instead.
Out with the old, in with the new
It’s easy to fall into the trap of having antiquated documents and duplicates if you’re relying on an Intranet or file manager. If you find yourself having documents with several versions, three copies and vaguely identifiable titles such as ‘covid_risk_assessment.NEW.docx’ and ‘covid_risk_assessment.v2.docx’, we think it’s time to re-evaluate how you’re going about this.
When you don’t have a secure system in place to automatically supersede outdated documents, you can be vulnerable to miscommunication, disputes between employees reading old documents and just all round confusion.
Ask yourself:
What processes do I have in place to replace old documents once a change is made?
Can other staff clearly see the latest document or is there the possibility of them viewing an old one?
If you’re a MAT with multiple schools, having clarity over which document is the most up to date is critical, otherwise the problem is magnified significantly as you try to update documents for each of your schools.
Getting it sent to staff
Once policies have been agreed and signed off by the appropriate team, they’re then ready to be circulated around the school. Staff will be notified when a document has been sent for reading. But there’s more to it than staff ticking a box to say they’ve read it.
Sending documents to user groups
Imagine there has been a change to a risk assessment which needs to be sent to your caretakers, how much time would it save if you were able to send this to a pre-defined group of users at the click of a button rather than manually selecting them each time? Read more about identifying hazards and assessing risks with Health and Safety Executive’s helpful blog (2).
Being able to easily distribute documents to groups of staff members can save you precious time (which we all know can be put to better use elsewhere).
Having remote access to documents
With many staff now working from home (3), if you’re unable to distribute documents remotely, how can you trust that your staff are up to date with new procedures prior to their return to school?
With Every, staff can read and acknowledge policies from their own cloud-based portal. If needed, users can also add comments regarding the approval of documents or they can suggest amendments.
What’s more, having key documents, policies and latest procedures stored centrally means staff can quickly find what they’re looking for without having to trawl through three years worth of emails just to find the company handbook. Read the Top 7 Benefits of Document Management Systems (4).
Evidencing documents have been sent during an audit
When you have a system that keeps a log of documents you have previously distributed, you can use this as evidence during audits where you can prove you have communicated appropriate documents to staff.
It’s been read, but has it been understood?
With read receipts, you have the ability to monitor whether a document has been read or not. This can support with preventing disputes within the school as you have the ability to evidence when a document was sent and whether the person on the receiving end has stated that they’ve read it.
Sending custom reminders to read documents
Is there a reason a staff member hasn’t read a document? Are they avoiding it because they don’t understand it?
Unfortunately, there are many reasons why an employee may not read a document. Whether it’s down to not seeing the importance of reading it, to not having the time to set aside to digest the document’s content.
With Every, you can just as easily send personalised reminders to anyone that hasn’t read a document, alongside a deadline for them to read it by.
Ultimately, not being able to effectively distribute policies and procedures and not being able to evidence this can be unnecessarily costly to your school or MAT.
Interested to see how we can help you make these problems a thing of the past?
We can help you with the above, and much more.
Click on the button below to get in touch with a member of our team.
(1) https://www.hcbgroup.com/site/sectors_serv/education-solicitors/for-schools/policy-advice/
(2) https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/basics/assessment.htm
(3) https://news.stanford.edu/2020/06/29/snapshot-new-working-home-economy/
(4) https://www.whymeridian.com/blog/the-top-7-benefits-of-document-management-systems
(5) https://www.praxesmodel.com/3-ways-to-get-your-staff-to-read-policies-and-procedures/
Using software to make policy management easier
Reviewing, updating and distributing policies and procedures doesn’t have to be as time-consuming as it sounds…
If you’re doing it correctly that is.
As schools take measures to limit the spread of Covid, effective policy and procedure management has become even more pertinent. So, with regulations and best practice constantly evolving, what can schools do to ensure they are compliant with latest changes?
We’ve seen documents stored on an intranet. We’ve even seen schools attach policies to payslips to make sure employees read them. This is all fun and games until it comes to knowing whether they’ve been read, and how can these methods be evidenced during an audit?
Whether you’re a small primary, large secondary or a MAT, there’s no excuse for not effectively managing how you keep track of and distribute policies.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the key stages of policy and procedure management and how this can be made more straight-forward with software.
Identifying policies in need of updates
Knowing when to update policies can be a difficult task. Even more so when key changes are announced out of the blue. Routinely reviewing school policies and procedures ensures you are up to date with latest regulations and best practice.
But when should they be updated in the first place?
Where necessary, it’s best to schedule time in frequently to check for any potential changes that need making.
As a general rule however, policies should be reviewed every three years. With everything going on now though, experts have advised reviewing documents annually instead.
Out with the old, in with the new
It’s easy to fall into the trap of having antiquated documents and duplicates if you’re relying on an Intranet or file manager. If you find yourself having documents with several versions, three copies and vaguely identifiable titles such as ‘covid_risk_assessment.NEW.docx’ and ‘covid_risk_assessment.v2.docx’, we think it’s time to re-evaluate how you’re going about this.
When you don’t have a secure system in place to automatically supersede outdated documents, you can be vulnerable to miscommunication, disputes between employees reading old documents and just all round confusion.
Ask yourself:
What processes do I have in place to replace old documents once a change is made?
Can other staff clearly see the latest document or is there the possibility of them viewing an old one?
If you’re a MAT with multiple schools, having clarity over which document is the most up to date is critical, otherwise the problem is magnified significantly as you try to update documents for each of your schools.
Getting it sent to staff
Once policies have been agreed and signed off by the appropriate team, they’re then ready to be circulated around the school. Staff will be notified when a document has been sent for reading. But there’s more to it than staff ticking a box to say they’ve read it.
Sending documents to user groups
Imagine there has been a change to a COSHH risk assessment and this needs to be sent to your caretakers, how much time would it save if you were able to send this to a pre-defined group of users at the click of a button rather than manually selecting them each time?
Being able to easily distribute documents to groups of staff members can save you precious time (which we all know can be put to better use elsewhere).
Having remote access to documents
With many staff now working from home, if you’re unable to distribute documents remotely, how can you trust that your staff are up to date with new procedures prior to their return to school?
With Every, staff can read and acknowledge policies from their own cloud-based portal. If needed, users can also add comments regarding the approval of documents or they can suggest amendments.
What’s more, having key documents, policies and latest procedures stored centrally means staff can quickly find what they’re looking for without having to trawl through three years worth of emails just to find the company handbook.
Evidencing documents have been sent during an audit
When you have a system that keeps a log of documents you have previously distributed, you can use this as evidence during audits where you can prove you have communicated appropriate documents to staff.
It’s been read, but has it been understood?
With read receipts, you have the ability to monitor whether a document has been read or not. This can support with preventing disputes within the school as you have the ability to evidence when a document was sent and whether the person on the receiving end has stated that they’ve read it.
Equally, it’s not just about staff ticking a box to say they’ve read a document. The real question is whether they understand it and how it may affect them.
Keeping internal communication clear and open between staff and the person distributing policies and ensuring they feel comfortable to start a conversation if there is a part of the document they don’t understand is crucial.
Sending custom reminders to read documents
Is there a reason a staff member hasn’t read a document? Are they avoiding it because they don’t understand it?
Unfortunately, there are many reasons why an employee may not read a document. Whether it’s down to not seeing the importance of reading it, to not having the time to set aside to digest the document’s content.
With Every, you can just as easily send personalised reminders to anyone that hasn’t read a document, alongside a deadline for them to read it by.
Ultimately, not being able to effectively distribute policies and procedures and not being able to evidence this can be unnecessarily costly to your school or MAT.
Interested to see how we can help you make these problems a thing of the past?
We can help you with the above, and much more.
Click on the button below to get in touch with a member of our team.
