Glossary · Operator documentation
Operational directive
Also known as: Management directive, Company directive
German: betriebliche Weisung
In company practice, an operational directive is a formal, binding directive from management that prescribes conduct within the organization — for example on compliance, governance, data protection or approvals — based on the employer's right to give instructions.
- Compliance
- German source term
In one sentence
An operational directive is a binding management directive on conduct in the company, based on the employer's right to give instructions.
Example
A management directive on the use of AI tools defines which tools employees may use, which data may not be entered and who approves exceptions; it is a governance document, not a Betriebsanweisung.
How it applies
- Legal basis in Germany: § 106 GewO allows the employer to determine the content, place and time of work at its reasonable discretion, insofar as these are not fixed by contract, works agreement, collective agreement or law; this also covers order and conduct of employees in the company. Directives on conduct rest on this right.
- Governance: Directives are part of the company's rules alongside policies and process instructions, often within an internal control system.
- Not a Betriebsanweisung: A directive governs conduct in the organization; the Betriebsanweisung is the safety-related instruction for a workplace required by occupational safety law. Calling a governance directive a Betriebsanweisung blurs that distinction.