Developing HR Policy
Assignment Brief
The Personal Development Portfolio (PDP) provides the framework to help you expand your academic, professional and career development; build and sustain a personal learning network; articulate your professional goals; and reflect on your skills through various strategies and assessments.
In this module there are two PDP submissions. The first PDP Assignment is due for submission here in Week 4, and the second PDP Assignment is due for submission in the final week of the module, Week 8.
To prepare for this PDP Assignment:
In this week’s PDP Assignment, you will reflect upon your prior knowledge and experience, and consider various perspectives relating to HR policy development.
- Reflect on your prior knowledge of and experience with HR policy in organisations. As an employee, reflect upon your own perspective and engagement with HR policy.
- Reflect upon the perspective of colleagues whose role may involve HR policy development and/or whose role requires a close working relationship with HR policy developers.
Sample Answer
Introduction
Human Resource (HR) policies are a vital part of organisational life, acting as formal guidelines that govern a wide range of employment-related matters such as recruitment, performance, grievance resolution, employee conduct, and workplace safety. These policies aim to ensure that organisations operate within legal frameworks while promoting fairness, equality, and consistency. This reflection explores my prior knowledge and experiences with HR policy from the perspective of an employee, alongside the views and practices of colleagues who are involved in developing or working closely with HR policies. By reflecting critically on these perspectives, I aim to deepen my understanding of HR policy development and its impact on organisational behaviour and professional practice.
Personal Experience and Perspective on HR Policy
Before engaging in this reflection, my understanding of HR policy was fairly limited and largely based on my direct interactions with workplace policies in various employment settings. Typically, HR policies were introduced during induction sessions, where I was asked to read and sign employee handbooks that outlined key expectations and procedures. However, my actual engagement with these documents was minimal, and I often found them to be lengthy, legalistic, and difficult to apply in real situations.
Over time, I have become more aware of the practical importance of HR policies, particularly when workplace challenges arise. One specific experience that shaped my perspective occurred when I was involved in a grievance process in a previous job. A misunderstanding between myself and a colleague led to a formal complaint being raised. The HR department followed the organisation’s grievance policy to address the issue. This process included formal meetings, written statements, and mediation. At the time, I found the process stressful and impersonal, but in hindsight, I recognise that having a clear, structured policy in place ensured that both parties were treated fairly and consistently. It also protected the organisation from legal risk by ensuring that due process was followed.
From this experience, I learned that HR policies serve as a framework for resolving disputes and managing behaviour, but their success depends on how well they are understood, communicated, and implemented. Many employees, including myself at the time, tend to ignore policies until a problem arises. This reactive approach limits the effectiveness of HR policies in promoting a positive and proactive work culture.
Furthermore, in my experience, there can be a disconnect between written policies and actual practice. For example, in a previous role, the organisation had a strong written policy on equal opportunities and diversity, yet there were ongoing concerns about bias in promotion decisions. This highlights the challenge of ensuring that HR policies are not just formalities but are integrated into daily organisational behaviour. As an employee, I now believe that it is important to engage with HR policy more actively, both to understand my rights and responsibilities and to contribute to improving workplace culture.
Colleagues’ Perspectives on HR Policy Development
In addition to reflecting on my own experiences, I have had the opportunity to observe and speak with colleagues who are either directly involved in developing HR policies or whose roles require close interaction with HR processes. These perspectives have provided me with valuable insights into the complexities and challenges associated with policy development and implementation.
One colleague, a line manager, frequently worked with HR to apply policies related to staff performance, attendance, and conduct. She often expressed the difficulty of balancing the needs of her team with the demands of HR policy, especially when dealing with underperformance. For instance, she described a situation where a team member’s productivity had declined due to personal issues, yet the HR policy on performance management required formal warnings after a certain threshold. She found this rigid and lacking empathy, and she felt that it restricted her ability to manage the situation informally. Her perspective revealed that while policies are necessary for consistency, they can sometimes limit managerial flexibility and fail to accommodate complex human situations.
Another colleague, an HR advisor, was more directly involved in drafting and revising HR policies. He emphasised that policy development is not a simple task, as it must balance legal compliance, organisational goals, and employee needs. According to him, good HR policy requires consultation with diverse stakeholders, including employees, managers, legal advisors, and sometimes external consultants. He described a recent project where he helped to update the organisation’s remote working policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenge was to create a policy that was fair, flexible, and enforceable, while addressing issues such as data security, productivity, and work-life balance. He explained that the process involved reviewing best practices, gathering feedback through surveys, and piloting the policy before full implementation.
Both colleagues also highlighted the importance of clear communication. Even the best policies can fail if employees do not understand or trust them. Therefore, HR must ensure that policies are accessible, written in plain language, and supported by training and guidance. For example, my HR colleague noted that the organisation had started offering interactive training sessions on key policies such as safeguarding and inclusion, which helped employees understand not only the rules but also the values and reasoning behind them.
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