By Jennifer Jacobus PHRca, SHRM-CP SDEA Director of HR Services.
It’s no secret that an employee handbook (and probably more-so the maintenance of an employee handbook) brings with it both pros and cons. On the “pro” side, a carefully researched, compliant handbook helps to provide protection for the company from employer-related liability, it can establish rules and regulations for all to follow and ensures employees are treated fairly and consistently.
Employers use handbooks to provide a consistent set of policies and procedures. They also use handbooks to describe working conditions and the workplace behavior and contributions they expect from employees.
While a well-written handbook can protect employers from lawsuits, such as harassment claims, wrongful termination claims, and discrimination claims, it is also a communication tool for employees to introduce them to the company culture, to outline company expectations and give the employer an opportunity to brag about company benefits.
Since the legal requirements from both state and federal labor laws can be very confusing and complicated, making sure the handbook is compliant with the newest laws and regulations can definitely be viewed as a “con” and an outdated, or poorly written, employee handbook can be used against an employer in the event of a claim.
SDEA’s staff can review a recently updated or newly created handbook or one that hasn’t been reviewed in years and make updates directly to the document to bring it into the 21st century. Or, if a handbook version does not already exist, SDEA can work with a company in order to create one from scratch.
If you are interested in either handbook service or have further questions, please call SDEA at 858-505-0024.