Do’s and Don’ts for Every Employer
Many employers use an employee handbook to communicate workplace policies to the workforce. Employers should, however, be aware of the measure of risk in drafting and distributing handbook policies that are poorly written or not compliant with applicable federal, state or local law. Melissa Boyce of XpertHR discusses best practices to ensure the employee handbook is legally compliant and best serves the organization.
The employee handbook, one of the most common and widespread workplace documents, serves as a tool to communicate to employees the employer’s position on certain employment-related matters. However, there is some measure of risk in implementing an employee handbook and having the employer commit to workplace policies in writing.
A poorly written employee handbook may legally obligate an employer to take a certain course of action, limit the actions an employer may take or create confusion among employees and supervisors. Further, an employee handbook may expose an employer to liability if it is not updated frequently to comply with the latest legal developments or if the employer fails to uniformly and consistently apply the workplace policies.
Determining what topics to cover in an employee handbook is a complex task, but it’s one of…
