Employee Handbooks — Do You Know the Basics?

Are there missing or inconsistent provisions in your company policy manual which could raise legal issues by employees? Has it been two years or more since you last reviewed or modified your employee handbooks to reflect recent legal changes?

If you answer, ‘yes’ to these questions then it’s time to review your current handbook to ensure that you have policies in place to enhance employee morale, increase productivity and improve the work environment while keeping your organization protected on legal issues.

We recommend that all handbooks include what we refer to as the ‘basics’. These range from employment practices to workplace guidelines.  This list is by no means complete, but it does indicate a few of the basic policies that should be included in your employee handbook:

• Standards of Employee Conduct (workplace rules);
• Discipline;
• Attendance;
• Introductory Employment Period;
• Vacation;
• Leaves of Absence;
• Equal Employment Opportunity;
• Employee Harassment;
• Sexual Harassment;
• Dress Code;
• Holidays;
• Standards of Business Conduct;
• Employment of Relative; and
• Workplace Safety.

If you either do not have a Company Policy Manual or Handbook, or are not sure if it is updated to protect your company, drop us an e-mail or visit HRKnowledgeBase.com.

by Victoria Mavis