Letter to Employees about New or Updated Workplace Policies

What is a Letter to Employees About New or Updated Workplace Policies?

A Letter to Employees About New or Updated Workplace Policies is designed to notify staff when an employer makes changes to their workplace policies, or introduces a new workplace policy.

It is a simple letter which can be sent to all staff or to specific staff members. It brings the changes to their attention, and provides information about when the changes come into effect, and what staff members can do in order to review the relevant policy or policies.

What types of policies can this Letter be used with?

This letter can be used with any new or updated workplace policies. This could include:

• Employee Handbook: which provides an overview of the employer's general rules, standards and expectations of employees.
• Social Media Policy: which outlines the employer's approach to use of social media by employees.
• Drug and Alcohol Policy: which outlines the employer's approach to drug and alcohol issues.
• Workplace Health and Safety Policy: which outlines the employer's approach to health and safety issues at the workplace.
• Discrimination Policy: which explains how bullying, harassment, victimisation and discrimination are treated by the employer.
• Remote Work Policy: which explains how the employer deals with employees that are working remotely.
• Cyber Security Policy: which outlines the employer's protocols, standards, and procedures for employees, contractors, consultants and other workers to follow in relation to cyber security, both during work hours and in their personal time.
• Conflict of Interest Policy: which is used by employers to help employees avoid conflicts of interest at work and to act with integrity and transparency.
• Nonprofit Conflict of Interest Policy: which is similar to a standard Conflict of Interest Policy but is tailored to address some specific rules that organisations need to comply with in order to maintain their charitable status.
• Employee Reimbursement Policy: which sets out the rules, practices, and procedures for reimbursing employees for expenses incurred during the course of their work.

Is it mandatory to have a Letter to inform employees about new or updated workplace policies?

No, it is not mandatory to have a Letter to Employees About New or Updated Workplace Policies. However, any time that a workplace policy is updated or implemented, it is important that employees are made aware of the changes, so that they know what is expected of them. A letter can help with this and can create a simple and clear line of communication.

Who is involved in this Letter?

Usually senior members of staff will prepare a Letter to Employees About New or Updated Workplace Policies. This could involve senior managers or directors, or a human resources officer.

What has to be done once the Letter is ready?

Once a Letter to Employees About New or Updated Workplace Policies is ready, it can be distributed to employees, either physically or electronically. Most employers choose to send it to employees by email as an attachment, or copy the text of the letter into the body of an email.

The employer may also choose to attach copies of the relevant workplace policies which are new or have been updated. Otherwise, the employer should make sure that the new or updated workplace policies are available for employees to review them.

What must this Letter contain?

A Letter to Employees About New or Updated Workplace Policies should contain enough information to allow employees to be informed about the relevant new or updated policies. This includes:

• The names of any new policies.
• The names of any updated policies.
• Confirmation of whether they have already been updated, or when they will come into effect.
• Information about how employees can view the new or updated policies.
• Information about what employees can do if they have any further questions or concerns about the relevant policies.

Which laws are applicable to a Letter to Employees About New or Updated Workplace Policies?

There are no specific laws that apply to this letter. However, there are a range of different laws that may be relevant to any policies that the employer implements.

The National Employment Standards, as set out in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Commonwealth) apply to many Australian workplaces. Some employees may be affected by modern awards or enterprise agreements. If such an award or agreement applies, then that will set out some additional minimum standards with which the employer must comply. In addition, each state and territory has legislation that deals with various employment matters such as occupational health and safety or discrimination.

General principles of contract law, as provided by the common law, may also apply.

If in doubt, seek legal advice.

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