New Workplace Policy Handbook Software Showcases Company Culture And Expectations

KnowledgePoint’s New Policies Now 6.0 Turn Lackluster Employee Handbooks
Into Powerful Recruitment and Retention Tools

(Petaluma, Calif., November 15, 2001) — With employment laws having increased 700 percent over the last 50 years, Policies Now 6.0 is more vital to organizations than ever. Still the quickest, easiest and most affordable way to develop clear, legally defensible workplace policies and handbooks, the new Policies Now, releasing today, goes several steps further by adding features that help companies attract employees and keep them.

Despite the economic downturn, human resource (HR) managers continue to cite recruitment and retention as their major sources of pain, according to a recent KnowledgePoint survey. Communicating company culture and values to prospective employees through a well-done employee handbook can be an effective way to attract people who would be a good fit for your organization. Making your employee handbook a living document that reflects your company’s distinctive personality and clearly conveys expectations can also support retention efforts.

"I don’t think most employers realize just how important the workplace policy handbook is in setting the tone of their relationship with their employees," says Ian Alexander, president of KnowledgePoint. "I challenge all executives to crack open their employee policy manuals and answer the question: Would I want to work here?"

Key Features of Policies Now 6.0

Policies Now 6.0 is a desktop software program that walks users through every step of writing customized workplace policies and publishing a complete employee handbook in a fraction of the time it would normally take — and at a fraction of the cost. Utilizing an easy wizard and Q&A process, this program provides expert HR and employment law advice, and much more.

In response to customer feedback, the new Policies Now includes all of the features, functionality and expertise of the previous versions, and a number of new enhancements, including:

Different language styles: Policies Now 6.0 offers a choice of three different language styles — formal, informal and plain English for those companies with bilingual workers or less educated employees. Choose whichever style (or styles) best suits your company culture.

Employment law information and analysis: HRLegiState™, a linked online service, offers instant access to affordable, up-to-the-minute Federal and state employment law information and analysis developed by the labor law experts at CCH INCORPORATED. (Separate paid subscription and Internet connection required.)

Multiple design styles: Improved graphics capabilities pave the way for publishing professional results either in print or on the Web. Users now have a choice of eight printable graphic styles and three Web versions. Policies Now 6.0 also supports the use of pictures, graphs, lists and tables.

Editing tools: The program now offers full word processing and formatting capabilities, plus a spell checker and thesaurus.

Routing capabilities: Users can now share single policies or entire handbooks by email for comment, approval or general distribution.

Direct links to online tools, information and resources through embedded Web links.

"The growing diversity one finds in today’s organizations makes it essential that employers find new ways of communicating with their workforce," says Alexander. "With its different language styles, distribution options and more graphic approach, the new Policies Now makes it easy for employers to communicate corporate policies and values in a way that best suits their individual workplaces."

Availability, Pricing and Operating Requirements

Policies Now 6.0 is available now at the suggested retail price of $179. The program requires a Pentium-based computer with minimum 32 MB RAM for Windows^® 95/98 or 64 MB RAM for Windows NT®/2000/ME (128 MB RAM recommended for Windows 2000), at least 30 MB hard disk capacity, and Internet Explorer 5.01 with Service Pak 1 or higher.

About KnowledgePoint

Since 1987, KnowledgePoint (a division of CCH INCORPORATED) has been a developer of knowledge-based human resource management software and Internet services for the enterprise, small business, HR professionals and individual managers. For more information, contact KnowledgePoint at 800-727-1133, via email at kp@knowledgepoint.com or on the Web at www.knowledgepoint.com.

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