As recruiting experts, Staffing Kansas City works with small to mid-size companies that do not have large HR Departments. In this role, we are often asked for more than just hiring assistance. One such example is helping with the creation of an employee handbook or providing advice on how to update an existing version.
The importance of having an up-to-date employee handbook cannot be overstated. From a legal perspective, an employee handbook details the lawful obligations of the employer and the rights of employees in its service. At its most basic, a handbook outlines what employees can expect working for an employer as well as the assumptions a company has of its employees.
An employee handbook is a culminative and living document offering a one-stop source for pertinent policies and procedures. When done well and kept up-to-date, an employee handbook becomes the go-to resource for standardized policies, lessening the chance of misunderstandings between employee and employer and a tool to help employers avoid legal issues.
Basic Elements of an Employee Handbook
- Standards of conduct
- Work schedules
- Anti-discrimination policies
- Non-disclosure agreements
- Conflict of interest statements
- Compensations
- Workplace safety and security
- Employee benefits
- Leave policies
- Complaints
- Equipment uses
- Dress code
- Holidays and PTO
- Termination policies
- Technology and device use
Always create written and electronic versions and look for ways to make the information easy to understand and searchable. Upon hire, employees should sign and date the last page of the employee manual. A signature verifies a company provided the employee with a copy of the manual and states that staff agree to follow the procedures. Subsequent updates to the manual can be added, as needed. The above list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good place to begin.
Staffing Kansas City strives to be a partner with its clients. If we do not have a response to the question, we have the industry resources to get the answer.
“Can You Help Us with Our Employee Handbook? is the fourth of a multi-part series from Staffing Kansas City featuring some of the most frequently asked client questions.
This article is brought to you by Staffing Kansas City, a Kansas City employment agency that provides ”Personnel Services with a Personal Touch.”
