HR policies a growing NGO needs
Which HR policies a growing NGO needs first, what each should cover, how to write and roll them out in a staff handbook, and how to keep them useful.
Short answer
A growing NGO needs a short staff handbook that covers recruitment, employment terms and categories, pay and leave, working hours and conduct, discipline and grievance, equality and anti-harassment, safeguarding and PSEA, health and safety, data protection and conflict of interest. Write each as a plain policy plus a procedure, follow local law and donor rules, and make staff sign that they have read it.
Key points
- Start with the policies that protect staff and the organisation most: terms, leave, conduct, grievance, safeguarding.
- Write a policy (the rule) and a procedure (the steps) for each.
- Local labour law and donor rules come first. Check them with a qualified adviser.
- Involve staff, explain the policies at orientation and ask for a signed acknowledgement.
- Review policies regularly and change those that do not work in practice.
Why do HR policies matter as you grow?
With five people, many things work by trust and talking. With fifteen or thirty, they stop working. Staff ask: how many days of leave do I have? What happens if I have a complaint? How is pay decided? If the answers live in people's heads, staff get different answers and trust breaks down.
HR policies explain how the organisation treats its people. NGOConnect's guidance for civil society partners describes the employee handbook as one of the most important communication links between an organisation and its employees. It also separates policies (rules or guiding principles), procedures (steps to implement a policy) and practices (how they actually work).
Which policies should you write first?
Use this list. It follows the common structure in the NCVO and NGOConnect guidance.
| Group | Policies to include |
|---|---|
| Joining | Recruitment and selection, employment categories (staff, part-time, consultant), probation, induction |
| Pay and leave | Salary scale or pay principles, payroll dates, annual, sick, parental and other leave, allowances |
| Work | Working hours, overtime, remote or field work, use of equipment and internet, expenses and travel |
| Conduct | Code of conduct, conflict of interest, confidentiality, gifts, outside work |
| Fairness | Equality and non-discrimination, anti-harassment, grievance procedure, disciplinary procedure, whistleblowing |
| Protection | Safeguarding and PSEA, child protection, health and safety, staff wellbeing and security |
| Information | Data protection, personnel files, use of social media |
| Exit | Resignation, notice, handover, termination, final pay |
Do not copy a long list on day one. Begin with terms and pay, leave, conduct, grievance and safeguarding. Our guide on the starter pack of NGO policies can help you decide the order.
How do you write a good HR policy?
NCVO suggests keeping policies short and simple. A few sentences may be enough for some areas. A useful template:
- Policy statement: one short paragraph with the rule or principle.
- Scope: who it applies to and when.
- Procedure: who does what, in which steps, with which forms.
- Responsibilities: the roles that carry out the policy.
- Date: when it was adopted and when it will be reviewed.
Use plain words. Write for the person who will read it on a phone between meetings. If many staff read English as a second language, add a Burmese version and check both say the same thing.
What must you check before you finalise?
- Local law. NGOConnect notes that national labour laws are usually explicit on leave and other terms. Your policy must comply. Laws can change, so confirm with a qualified legal adviser.
- Donor rules. Some donors require specific policies, for example on safeguarding, conflict of interest or recruitment. Others limit what staff costs can be charged. Read your agreements.
- Your values. Policies should reflect the mission. For example, fair treatment of national and international staff, if both are employed.
- Fit. Test the policy with a real case, such as a leave request or a complaint, and see if it works.
How do you roll the handbook out?
NGOConnect's six steps are a good model:
- Involve staff in drafting and ask for feedback.
- Disseminate the handbook so everyone can reach it, on paper or in a shared folder.
- Notify staff in writing when something changes.
- Orient new staff and give refreshers. See onboarding new staff in the first 90 days.
- Require a signed statement that staff received and understood the handbook and could ask questions.
- Be open to change. Review how the policies work in practice. Listen to complaints and change what does not work.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Copying another NGO's handbook word for word. Rules for a large international agency may not fit your team.
- Policies that nobody follows. If leave rules are broken by managers, staff stop trusting all rules.
- Inconsistent treatment. The same case should get the same result. Record decisions.
- No grievance route. Staff need a safe path to raise a problem, including a route that does not go through their own manager.
- Never reviewing. Revisit policies at least every two years, and after any serious incident or law change.
Keep personnel files private. Store them securely, and only let those who need them see them.
How EMPO can help
EMPO is a trusted, Yangon-based training and consultancy provider and one of Myanmar's leading names in practical NGO training, with 1,200+ people trained and 15 partner organisations. We support organisational development, including policy development, in English and Burmese, online and in person across Myanmar. The OD Toolkit in our store covers organisational systems for NGOs. See our services or contact us.
Sources
- Developing policies and procedures — NCVO
- Implementation Tips for USAID Partners: Putting HR Policies into Practice — NGOConnect, 2018 (archived copy)
Questions people ask
How many HR policies does a small NGO need?
There is no fixed number. Start with the few that cover how you hire, pay, manage conduct and handle complaints, then add more as you grow. Short and followed beats long and ignored.
Do volunteers and consultants need HR policies too?
They need clear terms and the key conduct rules, such as safeguarding and confidentiality. Many organisations use a shorter volunteer or consultant agreement instead of the full staff handbook.
Who approves HR policies?
The director usually approves procedures, and the board approves policies that affect governance, pay structure or legal risk. Write who approves what in your governance document.