Why You Need A Written Company Policy

Having a policy is great. Writing it down is even better.

1.     As a responsible retailer, you no doubt have a company policy to stop underage people from purchasing age-restricted products in your store. That’s a great first step. But to ensure these policies are remembered and enforced, it’s important to not just verbally share these policies with your employees, but to have them written down.

 

Why is a written company policy important?

●      It provides a formal communication that your company takes preventing underage access to tobacco, vaping and nicotine pouches products seriously.

●      It gives your employees an opportunity to read, sign and acknowledge the policy (useful in the unfortunate case an employee fails a government compliance check and you need to go to court).

●      It’s strongly recommended by the FDA in their guidance for retailers on Tobacco Retailer Training Programs.

 

Having this written policy shows you’re making the effort to keep both your location and your employees compliant with all federal laws and regulations. The FDA considers a store’s written company policy when determining whether to impose the maximum penalty of a No-Tobacco-Sale Order.

 

But while having a written company policy is important, it doesn’t have to be difficult. We Card has prepared a free recommended template for you to use to customize with your policies. You should both verbally communicate your company policy to employees AND have them read and acknowledge (sign) the policy. Then keep a copy in their employee file.

 

Now your employees have the right information, and you are better protected if an incident occurs. We call that a win-win!