Understanding Standing Orders
Standing Orders themselves are documents. They are drafted based on company policies regarding all matters connected with employment, such as the classification of employees, their working hours, salary payment day and method, holidays and leaves, how to apply for each type of leave, retirement age, resignation procedures, what constitutes acts of misconduct, the procedures for disciplinary action, and the punishment for specific misconducts.
It covers the entire HR policies and procedures and is akin to an employee handbook. However, it gains statutory status once certified by the competent authority. The officer not below the rank of Deputy Labour Commissioner is the competent authority to certify standing orders. A draft of standing orders should be vetted and agreed upon by the union of workers, or if there is no such union, by the selected representatives of the workers employed.