When you start your own company, having an employee handbook
may not seem all that important. But only with time you realize that this is
one of the most significant pieces that you need to have, not just to tell your
employees what you want from them, but also to communicate to them what they
can expect from you. It is one of the most important tools of communication
between employers and employees so it needs to be chalked out well.
Coming up with a good handbook is again not too simple.
There are many things to look after and you probably don’t know where to start
from. In that case, here are a few points that will help you in writing a
well-structured employee handbook.
Key Components That
You Need To Include:
Anti-Discrimination
Policies
As an employer, it is your duty to ensure that your
employees do not face any sort of discrimination at the workplace. You need to
ensure that equal opportunities are provided to your employees. You need to
comply with the laws that prohibit harassment and discrimination. This also
includes the Americans with Disabilities Act. A good employee handbook needs to
have a section that talks about these specific laws and how your employees need
to comply with them.
Compensation
Your employee handbook needs to explain to your employees
about the necessary deductions that will be made as state and federal taxes.
Apart from that, it should also talk about the deductions that can be made for
contributing towards the benefit programs of the company.
Work Schedule
You need to include the policy of the company related to
work hours and schedule, punctuality, attendance and so on.
Standards of Conduct
This section can include code of conduct to be followed in
the office including work ethics and dress code.
General Employment
Information
This section should include a brief overview of the kind of
business you are into and general employment information about job
classification, employment eligibility, termination, resignation, transfer or
relocation, probationary period and so on.
Employee Policies
Required By Law
There are a few employee policies that you need to include
in the employee handbook no matter what, as they are required by law. Safety
and security policies of the company mandatorily need to be stated in the
handbook. These polices ensure that the company provides a safe and secure
environment to its employees for working. These polices need to be in
compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration law which
requires employees to bring into notice all injuries and accidents encountered
at the workplace. They can also report about potential safety hazards at
workplace.
Employee benefits that are specified by the law need to be
mentioned too. These should include the eligibility criteria as well as details
of the benefit programs. Leave policies that are required to be provided by the
employer under the law also need to be documented in the handbook carefully.
Family medical law, military leave, jury duty and so on need to be complied
carefully with local and state laws.
Source: hrresource.com
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