As an HR consultant and educator within the HR profession, I review employee handbooks on a regular basis. I have read some that are good–and some not so good. Why is it important to have a great employee handbook? Because without sound policies it leaves the organization without a rule book from which to make managerial decisions. And, without the rule book, it leaves a lot of room for inconsistent decisions which often lead to claims of discrimination.
When I ask HR professionals the question, “So, do you have an employee handbook?” I usually get responses such as, “Well, we’re working on it.” Or, “I know we need to revise our handbook and it’s been on my to-do list for a while now to get it done.” The reason why the employee handbook gets put onto the back burner is simply because it is a difficult task to do. These days trying to carve out enough time to actually think and write is extremely difficult. We live in a world in which there are so many interruptions everyday that it is nearly impossible for the average HR professional to get this task accomplished.
A much more strategic method in writing an employee handbook is to start with an employee handbook template. At RPC we have employee handbook templates for employers with fewer than 50 employees and greater than 50 employees. With a handbook template, the most critical policies are already included, such as an anti-harassment and discrimination policy, anti-retaliation policy, timekeeping policy to ensure employees know the rules regarding clocking in and out, a social media policy to ensure employees know the do’s and don’ts when posting or blogging, and many more. So, the key to writing a great employee handbook is to stop trying to find the time to sit down in front of a blank Word document! Just tackle the project by using an employee handbook template that has 95% of the work done for you! Just insert the policies unique to your organization, and voila!
To learn more about our employee handbook templates, just reach out to us at info@rpchr.com!
Until next time…
Natalie
President & CEO
Results Performance Consulting, Inc.
Natalie@rpchr.com
(800) 517-7129
