PAYSTUBMAKR.COM present you the second part of the article about writing an Employee Handbook
3. What to write on Employee Handbook
There is no special format for writing an employee handbook, any format you are going to use will be good. There are some topics that we will discuss below that are common to be used by small businesses. Time and experience will show you what to add to improve the handbook.
Take the note: Labor law has differences in the different states. Learn the local laws and let a lawyer review your handbook before use put it in the hands of your employees. It may save you from being vulnerable to future litigation
Below is what we consider common section that you need to your employee handbook.
The first thing to do is write a general introduction of the company and overview of the history, timeline of the steps done to build the company, and state the goals and values
Safety Policies
After telling your story comes the most important thing, the safety of the people who work for you. This part will tell your employees everything related to safety, fire, earth quacks evacuation systems and other steps to take in the case of this events. Avoiding accidents, first aid and any specific measures to take for the safety of the staff and the equipment. Health hazards and professional health problems.
Diversity and Equality Statement
These days equality and the diversity are essential issues. A lot of immigrants in the working force, women and LGBT working openly everywhere and are protected well by the laws as well as the US borne people of different color, faith, etc. You must declare that your company gives equal opportunity and no harassment is accepted in the workplace and state that you won’t tolerate discrimination.
It can be more detailed going into, what constitutes discrimination and giving the employees the procedures to follow in the case they that they feel harassed in your workplace.
Tax and deduction.
Money is a sensitive matter, put it clear for your employees’ handbook, your companies paydays the taxes and deductions that are going to be withheld from the wages. Working hour and scheduled, over time or global salary. Bonuses and stocks possibilities. Paychecks and paystubs are important too. Other benefits like health insurance, Pay leave, parental leave, sick leave and vacation pay can be mentioned too.
Code of Conduct
Here is where you can tell your staff about the code of conduct of your company. The dress code that is expected, attendance and punctuality are important so it must be clear from day one. Internet and social media today are something to make clear on the use of it in the workplace and online, there is personal use at working time and keeping the company and client data confidential.
Discipline and Termination
Those are sensitive matters, make your employees clear about discipline and the action that the company can take in the case of an employee breaking the regulation.
At the same time, you need to tell your employees what they can do if they feel they have been treated unfairly.
The policy in the event of termination needs to be on this manual. It will make things clear for the employees and avoid having legal problems. Entering to this area need to be very careful with what you write, and what you do, it can end in courts. Look for a lawyer and do what he tells you.
Acknowledgment of Receipt
The handbook is a legal documentation treat it like one, you have to get the signature of the employee who received it and archives it in your office. This action will protect you if an employee will claim he was not aware of the policies. Your lawyer will advise you to state that this handbook is a guide and not a contract.
4. Employee Handbook Templates and Examples
The employee handbook is an individual for each company, you can make it as you wish. A template can help you with this job as a draft to start from. The Internet is where you can find plenty of website offering those templates free or paid.
Join Air Free Employee Handbook Template
You may take into consideration a more personalized handbook, the more personalized the better. A truly personalized handbook can have an effective communication between you and your employees.
The handbook is a mean of communication between the company and its employees. You have to tell your employees what do want them to do and how they have to behave when they are at work. It has to tell the workers how they have to communicate you thing of importance. IT is not a contractual document or a legal document but it has an important legal value.
PAYSTUBMAKR.COM thanks you for reading this article. We hope that you enjoy the reading and learned a lot about the handbook for the employees.