Company & Staff Handbooks
Although an Employee Handbook is not a legal requirement for a business to have, it is advisable to have one which accompanies your Contracts of Employment.
Your Employee Handbook is something that employees can refer to during important circumstances related to their work, such as a disciplinary procedure or when taking time off work for illness.
Employee Handbooks are an essential reference for both managers and employees when there is a dispute.
Business owners and directors need an Employee Handbook to ensure that they follow company procedures and have plans in place for issues that could arise with the workforce.
It helps to ensure a consistent approach to employees when problems occur and maintain objectivity.
It’s essential that managers and directors make new employees aware of the Employee Handbook during their induction.
Legal problems can arise if employees do not know about the company’s policies and procedures.
Why Do You Need An Employee Handbook?
There are many reasons why you might need an Employee Handbook.
An Employment Handbook keeps a record of complex legal requirements.
Although business owners may have a good knowledge of common employment law issues they may be unaware of their obligations for less common issues, such as requests for flexible working or how to deal with an employee who raises a “whistleblowing” complaint.
They need a convenient central repository of all the legal issues pertaining to employees so that they can refer to them when the circumstances require it.
Provide objective information to employees.
Employees want to know how much holiday they’re entitled to each year, what they can expect to get paid during sickness and how disciplinary procedures will be dealt with.
Information about dismissals.
The employee handbook sets out the circumstances under which an employee can be dismissed.
If you dismiss an employee but don’t make them aware of the policies and procedures contained within the Employee Handbook, they could potentially challenge their dismissal on the grounds that it was unfair.
Get An Employee Handbook Crafted For You Today
It can sometimes be challenging to know what to write in an Employee Handbook, especially if you haven’t written one before.
Because every company is different, so too is every employee handbook.
The topics you cover in your handbook need to be specific to your product and operations.
If you need help with your employee handbook, then get in contact with us today.
When you have a useful handbook, you can more effectively manage your employee onboarding process, deal properly with variations to contracts and engage in disciplinary procedures.
Once you’ve created your Employee Handbook, you’ll need to get written confirmation from every employee that they have received it.
Employee Handbook & HR Policies
These are policies you should have, but outside the scope of a Contract of Employment which should be included in a Employee Handbook.