Question

Policies and procedures are invaluable in providing consistency in recurring situations, whether it might be a safety investigation, or a maternity leave, or tuition credit, or any other event which is likely to be repeating itself. Trying to manage, or avoid mistakes through procedures (“…before taking this action, check these three boxes…”) is generally not a productive approach.

a)Why is it to be avoided in general?

b)Under what circumstance(s) might it be appropriate?

Answer 1

a) Procedures and Policies are avoided in general because of the fact that they are especially designed to monitor the fact of the recurring situations. Like there is a policy that maternal leave would be granted to pregnant ladies is a policy. You can't expect leave granted to normal ladies without any use. It has a stated fact only to pregnant ladies. Thus, these policies are avoid for the general situations because those mistakes are corrected by using controlling measures and evalution methods to check that the production or output is coming as according to the standards or not. You can't use a policy like granting tuition credit in general to people because that would affect the working of your company only.

2. These policies are procedures follows a systematic process and steps thus are available and appropriate in only those situations which could occur and have a tendency to occur in the future or present. For example the safety drill procedure. We can't expect or be sure about any natural calamity to occur anytime. Thus, there is a policy of having a safety drill and practices to make sure and prepare the employees for every situation.