Many organizations now issue an employee handbook to their new hires. It is an effective tool to communicate the company goals, policies, and procedures to new employees for the first time. In addition, it serves as a resource for employees to refer back to any time they have questions about how things work in the company. This article will show you how to write your own employee handbook for your company.
All of the employees in the company should be expected to know everything found in the handbook so it's important that you take the time to determine what information they need to know. Covering all your legal bases is a good place to start. Employees need to understand what's expected of them in terms of conduct and safety, as well as their rights and the responsibilities of the employer.A few of the things that should be included in the handbook:
Codes of Conduct: The employee code of conduct is important to the everyday operation of any company. New hires can read and review the code of conduct in the employee handbook so there is no confusion on this matter. Having a clear and comprehensive code of conduct in the handbook will make certain that no one can use the excuse that they didn't know the policy. With the code of conduct should be a disciplinary procedures section. Be careful not to lock yourself into a disciplinary policy that leaves you with no options in the case of serious disciplinary infractions.
Safety Procedures: Liabilities arise when employees remain ignorant of safety and security procedures. OSHA has a very rigorous set of safety standards that your business is responsible for maintaining. It's important that your employees understand these policies. When both the company and the employees are aware of and following the safety procedures, it is much less likely that any violations will occur that your business could be liable for. Violations of the OSHA standards can be very expensive, so pay close attention when creating this section of your handbook.
Anti-Discrimination Policies: Federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, and disability.
The list is certainly not limited to these three. In addition to the contents necessary to protect yourself legally, it may be useful to include information about the structure of your organization, vacation policies, clocking in and out procedures, and whatever else would be good for employees to know.
Depending on the nature of your business, not all employee handbooks need to be dull and full of legalese. There are companies that have written their employee handbooks in a way that serves as a friendly and entertaining way to welcome new hires into the organization.
There are plenty of writers qualified to write employee handbooks should you care to hire one. It may also be advisable that you hire a lawyer to review your handbook once it's finished. A good lawyer will be able to spot any errors that could subject your business to legal liabilities.
All of the employees in the company should be expected to know everything found in the handbook so it's important that you take the time to determine what information they need to know. Covering all your legal bases is a good place to start. Employees need to understand what's expected of them in terms of conduct and safety, as well as their rights and the responsibilities of the employer.A few of the things that should be included in the handbook:
Codes of Conduct: The employee code of conduct is important to the everyday operation of any company. New hires can read and review the code of conduct in the employee handbook so there is no confusion on this matter. Having a clear and comprehensive code of conduct in the handbook will make certain that no one can use the excuse that they didn't know the policy. With the code of conduct should be a disciplinary procedures section. Be careful not to lock yourself into a disciplinary policy that leaves you with no options in the case of serious disciplinary infractions.
Safety Procedures: Liabilities arise when employees remain ignorant of safety and security procedures. OSHA has a very rigorous set of safety standards that your business is responsible for maintaining. It's important that your employees understand these policies. When both the company and the employees are aware of and following the safety procedures, it is much less likely that any violations will occur that your business could be liable for. Violations of the OSHA standards can be very expensive, so pay close attention when creating this section of your handbook.
Anti-Discrimination Policies: Federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, and disability.
The list is certainly not limited to these three. In addition to the contents necessary to protect yourself legally, it may be useful to include information about the structure of your organization, vacation policies, clocking in and out procedures, and whatever else would be good for employees to know.
Depending on the nature of your business, not all employee handbooks need to be dull and full of legalese. There are companies that have written their employee handbooks in a way that serves as a friendly and entertaining way to welcome new hires into the organization.
There are plenty of writers qualified to write employee handbooks should you care to hire one. It may also be advisable that you hire a lawyer to review your handbook once it's finished. A good lawyer will be able to spot any errors that could subject your business to legal liabilities.