You know you need an employee handbook that is regularly updated and referenced. Maybe you wrote one a few years ago that is sitting in a drawer, or you have a loose collection of documents in a binder. You might have recently attempted to download a free version and filled in some customization.
The reality is that, in any of these scenarios, your company is not protected.
A handbook isn’t just about compliance and rule following. It is a tool for informing your employees of standards, planning for the inevitable HR situations, and ensuring consistency in how people are treated across your organization.
As an HR consultant, I have identified the top 5 problems with traditional employee handbooks:
- They are written by attorneys to protect the company but forget that people will be reading them. As a result, your employees do not understand them at all.
- They are outdated. Policies and procedures written five years ago may no longer reflect your current workplace, guidelines, rules, and regulations.
- They are missing required policies, including those on remote work, social media use, AI tools, and technology.
- Vague terms, including “management reserves the right” or the word “appropriate,” are not defined and leave too much room for interpretation (particularly by attorneys when a situation occurs).
- General information is outdated, including information pertaining to insurance plans, 401(k) benefits, and vacation and sick time policies.
Here at 45 Solutions, we ensure your handbook is up to date, protects your company, and provides clear direction to managers and employees on standards.
What happens when employee handbooks are not used?
When your handbook is not used, employees often receive different answers from different people on policies. This can include how to schedule vacation, conduct performance appraisals, and even file a grievance.
As your HR consultants, we make these policies clear so everyone is on the same page.
What policies should your employee handbook include?
Employees need and deserve guidance on expectations, standards of behavior, and how ALL employee performance is reviewed. This demonstrates that your team treats everyone fairly.
Your handbook should also describe how your employees can request vacation, file a grievance, request FMLA time, and access healthcare insurance. The more robust your employee handbook, the more uniformity in how people are treated. This means fewer questions and a culture of fairness in your organization.
If you don’t know how to get started creating an employee handbook for your small business, T.J. Butler and his team at 45 Solutions can help. Book a call with T.J. to discuss steps you can take to protect yourself and foster a culture of fairness for your team. Click here to get on T.J.’s calendar: https://schedule.45solutions.net/
