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Helpful Hints for Business Owners:
Did you know it
is not required for business owners to have an employee handbook. I would recommend to any business owner with employees to
create one. Yet be careful when a handbook is created.
Ten Most Common Handbook Mistakes:
Using form handbooks
that include promises you'll probably never keep and provisions that have absolutely nothing to do with your company.
Including
lots and lots of details on company procedures, which just confuses the employees. Stick to policies.
Including a "probationary"
period that gives the employee the impression that once the period is over the employee can stay forever and ever. This can
negate the "at-will" status.
Being too specific in descriptions and lists, especially your discipline process. This
gives the impression the list is all inclusive.
Not being consistent with other company documents.
Not adding
an "at-will" disclaimer or not stating that you, the company, reserves the right to change benefits or bypass discipline policies
if the situation warrants.
Sabotaging disclaimers by what you say. Never assure an employee their job is safe and secure.
What happens if you had to rightfully fire someone or go through a downsize.
Not adapting the employee handbook to
your state's law, especially if you are a multi-state organization.
Failure to update your employee handbook frequently
in accordance with the changing laws such as FMLA, FLSA, EEOC, ADA, etc.
Setting unrealistic policies. For instance,
it is against company policy to ever be late. How unrealistic is that.
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