Convincing your employees to read pages of dry policies and procedures – especially on a regular basis – is never the easiest task. While documenting your business processes is important for consistency and clarity, this documentation only becomes valuable if your team members actually refer to it.
So what’s the key to making your standard operating procedures (SOPs) more interesting for your team? Below 10 members of Council for Young Entrepreneurs research this question and share their best tips for making your company’s SOPs something your employees will actually want to use and read.
Contents
- 1 1. Gamify the experience
- 2 2. Try an alternative format
- 3 3. Consider how people consume information today
- 4 4. Focus on the value they provide
- 5 5. Make them searchable
- 6 6. Make sure they are complete and easy to understand
- 7 7. Lead by example
- 8 8. Update them regularly
- 9 9. Consider their design and layout
- 10 10. Cut the filler
1. Gamify the experience
A creative way to encourage your employees to use and read your company’s SOPs is to gamify the process. For example, you can create a game or competition that rewards employees for successfully completing tasks according to your SOPs or for identifying and correcting any errors or inconsistencies in the SOPs themselves. This can make the process of using and reading your SOPs more fun and engaging, while also encouraging your employees to participate more actively. In addition, you can involve employees in the development of your SOPs and incorporate their feedback to identify potential challenges or obstacles in advance, ensure procedures are relevant, useful and easy to understand, and foster a sense of ownership and involvement, helping their use more likely. – Lauren Marsicano, Marsicano + Leyva PLLC
2. Try an alternative format
Use a tool like Notion to create the SOPs in a format that is easy to digest and can contain a combination of text and images. No one wants to read a 20-page document, but adding some life through Notion makes the SOPs both easier to navigate and more fun to peruse. – Josh Weiss, Reggie
3. Consider how people consume information today
A SOP is crucial to ensure the consistency and quality of your product or service. But let’s face it: most SOPs are boring, so no one really wants to read them. So how can you ensure that your SOPs are actually used and read by your employees? An important tip to encourage employees to use an established SOP is to think about how people consume information today. We see everyone using their phones, not holding books, right? So it’s not ideal to write a thick manual in dry, boring language that is meant to sound official. Always keep the SOP short and sweet. Nobody wants to read a novel. Be sure to make it as easy as possible to understand by using clear, concise language. Even better, turn it into a dynamic document that can be used on a smartphone using embedded video and helpful links. – Richard Fung, Reliable technology
4. Focus on the value they provide
A tip for making your company’s SOPs something your employees really want to use is to involve them in the process of creating the SOPs while focusing on the value the SOPs can bring to them. Instead of thinking of the SOPs as just another set of rules and regulations to follow, focus on the ways the SOPs can help your employees get more done in less time. This can help shift the focus from compliance to the benefits of following the SOPs. For example, as an employee, it is a much more compelling and motivating proposition to use an SOP as a tool to get time back into your day than using an SOP to replace your creative decision-making with a factory-style process. – Robert Hoffman, Contact Studios
5. Make them searchable
A great way to ensure that your company’s SOPs are something your employees actually want to use and read is to make them easily accessible and searchable. Creating a central repository or knowledge base for all SOPs ensures quick access by using keywords and search terms, making it easier for employees to find the information they need without having to scroll through pages of irrelevant content. Making the SOPs easily accessible and searchable ensures that your team has quick access to all relevant information when needed, increasing their interest in following the procedures in these documents. – Pratik Chaskar, spectra
6. Make sure they are complete and easy to understand
A tip for making sure your company’s SOPs are something your employees actually want to use and read is to make sure the SOPs are easy to understand and comprehensive. This means that they should be broken down into simple steps and contain all relevant information. This is effective because it ensures that employees can quickly and easily understand what they need to do and why, without feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. Plus, a comprehensive SOP helps keep employees on the same page, which can help improve efficiency and accuracy. – Rachel Bother, PRESS Modern Massage
7. Lead by example
As the leader of your organization, you must lead by example. The best leaders convey their vision in every meeting while demonstrating the regularly applied SOP. For example, when explaining a task to a team member and why it is important, always link that task to your SOP or mission so they can create a mental connection. When praising team members, emphasize how their success came about following the SOP. This will encourage others to do the same. Building team habits is easier when they believe in why they are doing it. – Andy Karuza, NachoNacho
8. Update them regularly
It can be difficult to refer staff to SOPs on a daily basis. Instead, schedule regular updates to existing SOPs so everyone can contribute to improving that documentation and refresh their memory at the same time. SOP use is especially important during new hire training, and this ensures that the new hire and their trainer are familiar with the most up-to-date processes. – Firas Kittaneh, Amerisleep mattress
9. Consider their design and layout
Researchers claim that 83% of human learning takes place visual, so using concise and easy-to-read bullets, charts, and diagrams can be very helpful in getting your point across. You can also use color coding to distinguish different types of information or create headings and subheadings to organize the material. Remember to keep the SOPs short and sweet. No one wants to read a long document full of dense paragraphs. Try to break the information into short, easier-to-digest sections. For long processes, use hierarchical steps with main steps and sub-steps. Employees are part of the company’s audience, and as with customers and external audiences, better engagement with information depends on delivery. A reader needs no coercion if the content is engaging. – Tonya Bruce, Lead Beautiful, Inc.
10. Cut the filler
One tip I have for making SOPs more valuable is to leave out filler. When creating a tool that employees use regularly, having unnecessary information is detrimental. Identify critical steps and information to be described in an SOP and delete the rest. By tracking only critical information, your team members are more likely to use the SOP because they can quickly and efficiently collect the information they are looking for. – Jared Weitz, United Capital Source Inc.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.