What purpose do company policies generally serve?

Company policies primarily serve to govern expected behavior in the workplace. These policies provide clear guidelines and standards that outline how employees should conduct themselves, what their duties are, and what consequences may arise from not adhering to these standards.

Such guidelines help create a structured and predictable environment, fostering fairness and consistency in the treatment of all employees. By establishing what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior, company policies help to maintain a positive work culture, enhance communication, and minimize conflicts among employees and between employees and management.

This focus on guiding behavior ensures that all employees understand their roles and the expectations of them, ultimately contributing to a more effective and harmonious workplace. In contrast, enforcing personal beliefs, determining employee salaries, or prioritizing employee benefits, while important in their own right, do not encapsulate the primary role of company policies.