Employee Handbooks: A Necessity?

Written by: Crystal O'Brien, Esq.

Ever find yourself wondering why human resource professionals push the importance of employee handbooks? After all, who even reads them? And what are the downfalls of purchasing a handbook online or, better yet, plagiarizing a handbook from a former employer?

The problem with doing without a handbook or relying on outmoded and/or canned policies is that employers risk confusing employees and exposing themselves to lawsuits fueled primarily by mixed workplace policy messages. For example, if you are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and you don't make that clear through a set of written policies, the appearance of hiring preferences could subject you and supervisors in your workplace to unnecessary legal scrutiny.

Five benefits you'll want to consider as to why your workplace cannot afford to be without an employee handbook:

1. Excellent vehicle for conveying management expectations, organizational mission, and business objectives. Aside from telling employees why your organization exists, the handbook can be key for assuring employees understand the purpose of their contributions.
2. Excellent option for clarifying what is "at-will" employment. If you require two-week notices before resigning, are obligated to follow progressive disciplinary policies, and/or rely on probationary periods, your workplace could be sending mixed messages as to whether you truly have employees who can resign or be terminated at any time and for no cause as is inherent in "at will" employment.
3. Excellent means for educating employees as to organization's anti-harassment policies and means for reporting violations. You should not require your employees to guess at what is unlawful harassment and what they should do to avoid being unlawfully harassed.
4. What better way to reserve employer rights to modify workplace rules? Just because your workplace may have "always" managed certain issues one way or another, the right to modify certain approaches could be hampered by a failure to notice employees that the rules can change from time to time.
5. How do you know employees are aware of what rules apply to them? Employee acknowledgements of having received and reviewed employee handbooks are an excellent resource for assuring everyone understands what is expected of them.