Workplace Policies You Should Know to Safeguard Your Career

The workplace is a space that is unlike everyday life. Here, you’ll find a vast array of people that you might never otherwise interact with, a management team specializing in particular areas of the company, and technology that has been designed for a highly specific task that you might never even imagine would exist if it weren’t for you working at that company. As a result, a raft of policies are usually set in place in order to ensure that everything runs effectively and that employees feel safe and comfortable in the working environment. This post explains a few of the more common policies that exist in most workplaces regardless of industry so that you will have a better idea of what to expect.

Workplace Harassment Policies

Everyone is entitled to a safe working environment free from fear of harassment. However, far too many employees find themselves on the sharp end of some form of harassment, whether from other team members or those in management. Plenty of people will tend to suffer through it in the hopes that things will resolve themselves, but in most cases, they never do without the correct response. According to Punchwork Law Professionals, a team of lawyers that specialize in employment law, you don’t need to go through the complexities of EEOC complaints and litigation alone. By enlisting the help of an attorney with the requisite knowledge and expense in this sector, you should feel far more emboldened to submit a harassment claim and try to rectify the problem before it becomes even more out of hand.

Understanding Your Company’s Leave Policy

The number of days of leave you’re entitled to will vary based on the terms of your contract and the industry you operate in. The USA doesn’t have an official law stating a minimum number of paid time off (PTO) days, and it’s usually left up to the employer to decide how many days they are prepared to allow their employees to take off. This will be stated in your contract, and if you find that you’re constantly being denied your PTO requests (without any real reason), it might be time to speak with an attorney. However, it can also work another way, so knowing where you stand on how many PTO days you’re entitled to can help you avoid any misunderstandings and ensure your job. It can also help when you’re collecting references when moving to another place of work, particularly if you’ve maintained a good record of attendance and adhered to your side of the contract.

Importance Of Confidentiality Agreements

Understanding confidentiality agreements, commonly known as nondisclosure agreements (NDAs), is crucial for ensuring the longevity of your career (and protection from litigation) for several reasons:

- These agreements protect sensitive company information, such as trade secrets and client lists, showcasing your trustworthiness.
- They also shield intellectual property, which is vital for businesses to retain their competitive advantage.
- Adhering to NDAs fosters trust and integrity, which are essential for career growth; violating one can lead to serious legal repercussions and harm your reputation.

Honoring such confidentiality agreements opens up career opportunities and, perhaps most importantly, allows access to sensitive projects that may be unavailable to those who choose not to sign them (and therefore miss out on some of the juicier aspects and possibilities of promotion of their job description). NDAs also clarify your responsibilities and safeguard your rights, making understanding and following them vital for a sustainable career.

Remote Work Guidelines

If you’re fortunate enough to work for a company that allows remote work, it will help you to really grasp your contractual terms. These terms will be different in different companies, and those that involve the need to access sensitive data may include far more stringent access conditions than those that don’t. For instance, your contract may state that in order for you to log into an internal data repository, you must take specific steps and avoid doing so from anywhere that might be construed as risky (such as by using public Wifi, etc). If you fail to adhere to these terms and you get caught short, you risk disciplinary action, the possibility of losing your job, and the potential to be sued if you compromised their data by not following security protocols.

Grievance Procedures For Workplace Issues

You may begin to see a pattern emerging through this post, which is that even if there are federally and state-mandated laws surrounding certain aspects of employment, how businesses implement them will vary. This extends to how you might submit a workplace grievance against a co-worker of your boss. Most jurisdictions make it illegal for you to face repercussions for submitting a claim, but the way you go about it could make the difference between it being moved along the correct channels rapidly or languishing on the desk of a by-the-book HR manager. When you know these procedures, you are putting yourself in a stronger position to protect yourself and gain some kind of satisfaction in these cases. Some of the key components of an effective grievance process include:

- Clarity: The procedures involved must be clear enough for all employees to understand and to know what steps they must take to file an official complaint.
- Fairness: The process must always be impartial to ensure that all parties have a fair opportunity to present their case.
- Confidentiality: You should have the right to remain anonymous throughout the process so that you don’t have to face the consequences. Although in practice, you shouldn’t be discriminated against for submitting a complaint, the reality is that if the person knows who has complained against them, they will naturally have a chip on their shoulder, which could make life unbearable going forward.
- Timeliness: The longer a complaint goes on, the more time it has to fester and cause all kinds of issues. Therefore, it’s best to address these problems promptly.

Social Media Guidelines For Employees

Some companies will have strict social media policies that dictate how you can represent yourself and the business online. As long as the guidelines aren’t overly restrictive and you understand that social media is typically something that falls outside of the remit of what most companies could hope to control, the fact is that if there are clauses about how you present yourself in your contract and you refuse to follow them, you could face disciplinary action, or at the very least put yourself into the position where you are unable to climb the ladder so to speak.

There are lots of aspects that go into a workplace policy, but gaining a deep understanding of them before you sign any contract will go a long way in ensuring you work in a safe space.

If you ever find yourself facing repercussions for taking up their complaint procedure or feel as though you’re not being granted a safe working environment, you should always contact an employment attorney who can give you advice on how to proceed.