Employee handbooks can be a hassle & a headache to put together unless of course you have access to valuable resources such as those offered by FBinsure. Handbooks, in all reality, explain the relationship and responsibilities of employee and employer. They provide clear communication on a variety of employment topics. A well-written employee handbook establishes guides for the workplace and helps to protect the employer from liability issues.
Handbooks are company guidebooks that specify expectations, rules and compensation. A well written and comprehensive employee handbook will include information ranging compensation, benefits, dress code, human resources issues to topics including time off, workers’ compensation, performance reviews, discipline, rewards and drug & alcohol policies. This is not a comprehensive list by any means, just some of the recommended content that a good employee handbook should include.
It is essential to be aware of and adhere to all federal, state and local laws that might apply. There are many elements of a handbook that, if overlooked, could be legally problematic in the right situation. In many employment lawsuits, the handbook will be a key piece of evidence that can either protect your company or provide ammunition for an employee (or former employee) who is suing you. You can drastically reduce your liability by clearly laying out all employee expectations and prohibited behavior. It is vital that your handbook is not a fly-by-night project but one that is meticulously detailed and thorough. The employee handbook should clearly define the applicable legal obligations and rights of both the employer and employee.
Thorough, up-to-date, legally compliant, understandable and readily available—these are the essential characteristics of an effective employee handbook. HR departments are often short on time and inundated with numerous important tasks. With increasing pressure and a time crunch for all the responsibilities in HR, finding time to write an employee handbook, much less keep it properly updated, can be difficult.
FBinsure provides its clients with educational resources and dozens of sample handbook policies to help drastically reduce liability by clearly laying out all employee expectations and prohibited behavior. If you are not receiving tools and resources from your current agent that help you keep your costs and claims low, maybe it’s time to come talk with one of our Risk Advisors.
