Online staff policy template, why do restaurants make the shift?

Everyones encountered a staff policy before, especially in the world of hospitality. They provide guidance, consistency and clarity on proper procedure. Which is usually documented in an employee handbook that a new starter has to review and sign (also known as a new starter checklist). These policies ensure staff know what is expected of them which helps uphold the standards of pubs, bars or restaurants.

A policy template for better compliance management:

New starter checklists usually involve employees reading and familiarising themselves with your venue’s staff policies and filling out employee forms but this can be time consuming and hard to manage especially if you are operating multiple venues. Luckily you can greatly reduce the burden of policies by using an online policy template that has you covered on all fronts from making policies, getting them completed and reported back. You can even set up policy reviews and training to ensure staff are conducting themselves correctly

Our research found that over 80% of hospitality managers and owners are still using paper-based systems for this process, could they be missing a trick?

There are a number of quick wins to be had for the small % of hospitality businesses that have moved to an online tool allowing them to manage and communicate staff policies effectively.

You can learn more about how this integrates with our other compliance software features or try it our policy template for free today!

Staff policy templates: 6 benefits of making the shift to compliance software

1. A more integrated approach online

Consider using a staff policies tool which provides a cloud-based and centralised place to store all new starter checklists, policies and procedures. It is useful to have a single point of reference to ensure there are no duplicate entries and staff policies can be accessed at any time by anyone. You can even set up a policy review which ensures staff continue to follow proper procedure. With our staff will be immediately alerted when it's up for review, you can then see who's completed without chasing down staff or allocating time for a review.

In fact there's online tools for managing all aspects of your business which are easier to use and offer a lot more features you just cant get with paper based system, click here to see 5 of the best.

2. Read staff policies anywhere, anytime

Policies are what your employees read and accept as the guidelines to how they will work, rules they must abide by and what is expected of them, so it is important they can read them whenever they need to.

Staff policies are set according to current government guidelines that are specific to working in a bar, restaurant or pub within the hospitality sector. The compliance of your venue is also measured by ensuring that your staff policies are relevant, up to date, and have been read, acknowledged, and accepted by all employees which you can track really easily in one place as part of our

Consider how easy it is for staff to get remote access with your current information management system. Remember reading policies don't have to involve physically being present at the venue location. In fact, having access from their own device or smartphone can streamline the process especially when releasing a new staff policy and ensuring compliance across the business from all part and full-time members of staff.

This is another step you can take to stay Covid secure as sharing paperwork around can spread the virus on top of being less efficient.

3. Clear communication for all staff

Online new starter checklists, employee forms, and staff policies give your employees a clear channel to communicate any questions they may have. It also ensures that you have a full view of who has signed off to say they have read and understood a range of staff policies.

This is important as you should also be able to prove your compliance at any point which is why you may benefit from an online tool like HOPSY by having online new starter checklists in place for your business.

4. Easily share new policies

Once you've followed our template and set up a prime example of a policy, your done. With a press of a button you can share it to all your staff, even new staff policies for new employees. Then its up to your staff to review it and sign it off without you having to lift a finger. You can see exactly who has accepted it even across multiple venues. And just like that you've implemented a company wide policy that standardises procedure across your whole business, saving you time and money.

Configure and issue policies and procedures on a range of different matters. If you are a multi-venue business then our platform can simplify the process of sharing new staff policies and may also create efficiencies by standardising policies and procedures across all of your locations.

5. Demonstrate business compliance

New starter checklists and other found on HOPSY can make the process of identifying who has and hasn’t read particular policies easy as well as implementing alerts and notification reminders to ensure full business compliance. A great policy makes staying compliant that much easier, staff know what's expected of them and with a simple compliance checklist everyone's on the same page on what need to be done to pass compliance regulations.

6. No need for policy experts

By changing to an online system you can reinforce and update policies over time and ensure that all members of staff have read new and amended documents and demonstrate their opportunity to ask and answer questions too.

Our recent survey data tells us that 19% of independent hospitality businesses in the UK have already made the switch to an online tool when it comes to sharing new staff policies. Join them now by signing up to Hopsy for free and start benefiting from our staff policy management feature along with a range of fuss-free hospitality management tools today.