How do I write an electronic records management policy that staff will actually follow?

A policy only works if people can understand it, see why it matters, and follow it without leaving the tools they already use. The most common failure is not a missing rule, it is a policy written for auditors rather than for the staff who create and handle records every day. Treat adoption as a design goal from the start.

Start with scope and plain language

Define what the policy covers in concrete terms. Electronic records include email, chat and messaging, documents, spreadsheets, databases, and content in cloud and collaboration platforms. Say so explicitly, because staff often assume “records” means only formal documents.

Write in plain language. Replace legal phrasing with the actions people take: what to keep, where to keep it, how long, and when it can be destroyed. A short policy that is read beats a long one that is filed away.

Anchor it to roles and real workflows

Tie every requirement to a role and a routine. Spell out who is responsible for classifying records, applying retention, and approving disposition. International guidance such as ISO 15489-1 frames records management as a systematic program with clear accountability, not a one-time directive.

Map requirements to the systems people actually use. If retention can be applied automatically inside existing platforms, staff do not have to remember manual steps, and compliance stops depending on memory.

Make compliance the easy path

• Default settings should match the policy, so the routine choice is also the compliant one.
• Provide short, role-specific guidance instead of one document for everyone.
• Cover retention and defensible disposition, plus how legal holds suspend deletion.
• Address access, security, and privacy alongside retention, since they shape what staff can keep and share.

Train, measure, and revise

Pair the policy with brief, recurring training and clear examples of right and wrong handling. Build in feedback: monitor where people struggle, and update the policy when systems or laws change. NARA’s policy and guidance resources are a useful model for structuring and maintaining program documentation.

A policy people follow is one they helped shape, can find quickly, and can apply without friction. For more foundational material, see the electronic records topic hub.