Employee handbooks are an excellent way for businesses to communicate their policies and procedures to their employees. If it’s been a while since you updated your handbook, you should consider a revision. If you don’t have a handbook, now is a great time to start.
No matter what size your business is, if you have employees, you have policies and procedures that you need them to follow. The employee handbook is the quickest and easiest way to ensure everyone in your office knows what’s expected of them.
A handbook allows for company policies to be known and studied by all employees and for the employer to enforce them in a uniform and consistent manner. And while every company is different, there are certain elements every handbook should have. These include an acknowledgement that the employee is an employee-at-will, that you are an equal opportunity employer, an outline of harassment and discrimination policies, safety procedures, paid time off, and family medical leave policies, to name a few.
If a handbook is done well, it will include policies unique to a business and its operations. And then there is the ever-growing issue of technology. By outlining your businesses’ social media policies as well as guides for use of electronic devices at work, you can help prevent friction both inside and outside the office before it happens.
No two businesses are the same. A custom employee handbook can address the specific and unique issues that your business faces. Including stock information that’s irrelevant to your business does nothing to help your company and may in some cases do more harm than good. Not sure where to start or feeling like it’s time for an update? Give us a call.
