The Inherent Fallacy of 'We Have a Policy for That'
general-commentary · August 29, 2026
Having a policy does not mean an organization has solved the problem the policy was created to address.
The Inherent Fallacy of "We Have a Policy for That"
The inherent fallacy is simple: We have confused having a policy with solving a problem.
Organizations love policies.
Policies can be written, approved, distributed, acknowledged, placed in binders, uploaded to portals, and referenced whenever somebody asks what is being done about an issue.
"We have a policy for that."
Good.
Does it work?
That is the question that matters.
A workplace can have an excellent safety policy while employees continue getting hurt.
It can have a communication policy while nobody communicates.
It can have a wellness program while employees are burning out.
It can have a training policy while people remain unprepared for the work they are expected to perform.
The existence of the policy proves only one thing:
Someone wrote a policy.
Implementation is different.
Compliance is different.
Effectiveness is different.
Leadership should be less interested in whether a policy exists and more interested in what happens when that policy meets Tuesday morning.
Can employees actually follow it?
Do supervisors understand it?
Are the necessary resources available?
Does the organization measure whether the policy produces the intended result?
Policies matter. They establish expectations and create standards.
But a policy should be the beginning of accountability, not evidence that accountability has already occurred.
Unc's Point
Never confuse documentation with execution.
The Question
If the policy is working, what evidence would prove it?
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