Does Your Business Need an Employee Manual?

Many businesses can benefit from having a personnel manual (employee manual). Check this list of benefits to see whether your business should look into maintaining such a manual:

• An employee manual may help to prevent unnecessary lawsuits. Keeping an up-to-date summary of your business’s employee rules, policies, and benefits may help you to avoid litigation by employees or former employees. At the very least, the manual will help you in defending against such suits.
• Having employee policies and benefits in writing tends to make employees feel that the employer is likely to deal fairly and impartially with them. This leads to improved employee morale.
• An employee manual tells employees what is expected of them, thus helping to ensure that employees will behave in a manner that is good for your business.

TIP: You will need professional help in preparing an employee manual. Areas covered might include: benefits, sick leave, vacation, hours of work, dress code, and use of alcohol or narcotics in the workplace. Due to the myriad federal and state laws that govern the treatment of employees, the help of a qualified expert is a must.