10 reasons why policies don't work ... and how to deal with them

At ARC People, we like to share our knowledge. Among ourselves, to serve our clients even better, but also with candidates and clients. We have even embedded this in our core values. That's why we decided to develop a white paper on the pitfalls of policy makers. Why is it that policies are so often not complied with and how can you solve this, or at least improve it?

The 10 main pitfalls

Within the fields of Audit, Risk and Compliance, you often find that things are not being done as they should and as you would like. In our Internal Audit Basic Training we went into this in depth. We made an analysis of the reasons for not complying with policies (but also procedures, rules, etc.). This yielded the following list (in no particular order):

• laziness, deliberate evasion;
• not, not properly or not clearly established;
• unfamiliarity, poor communication;
• no understanding of the underlying reason;
• cumbersome or time-consuming;
• not consistent with practice, no support;
• not facilitated by systems or manpower;
• roles, authority and responsibilities are not clear;
• conflict with other policies;
• overly complicated writing or jargon use.

A clear policy structure

In response to this list, we've put on paper how to fix - or at least improve - this by drafting and implementing policies differently. Over the years, our specialists have developed a "best practice" format. The basis of that format was created during a merger between four insurers and then developed further, by continually incorporating "lessons learned." It also incorporates the principles of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority's (EIOPA) policy guidelines. This means that policies that are in line with this white paper and the free downloadable format also meet the most current EIOPA/Solvency II requirements. So even if your organization is not an insurer, you can certainly benefit from these insights.

All this led to a white paper that explains a set format for policies. Curious? Download the free whitepaper with clear guidelines for a clear policy structure that is complied with. Want to know more about our approach and vision? Make an appointment and we'll talk to you about it.

Request your white paper here and receive the download link immediately