Do you have a lot of pretty policies taking up shelf space but doing little else?
It is important to know that handbooks only work if you distribute them to everyone and everyone acknowledges that they received it. Companies can get into a lot of trouble if they fail to distribute handbooks promptly. Not only do you need to hand them out when someone starts a new job, but you also need to hand them out when there are key policy updates or changes.
Your role as a company leader should be to explain these changes adequately to ensure that everyone understands. As long as you have an employee’s acknowledgment of policy changes, you can combat most unjust legal charges.
It is also important to make sure your employees know that the policy handbook is subject to change. There should be a section at the end or beginning that states this explicitly so that employees will never be able to claim that they “didn’t know” about a certain bit of policy. Distributing handbooks ensures that you have accurate grounds for discipline in the event that an employee breaks policy. Ensure that everyone acknowledges in writing their receipt of the handbook. They may disagree with some policies, but they need to acknowledge that they have read them.
Next week, we will focus on creating a sexual harassment policy to protect your company.
Could you benefit from a “Handbook-In-A-Box”? HR Resolutions offers not a template, but a legally-reviewed, ready-to-go handbook to reflect your company’s unique policies. Contact us to find out more information.
