So what is a staff handbook?
Answer in short - a Staff Handbook, is a written collection and summary of an employer's policies, procedures and practices.
According to Joy Arkley of the HR Dept West Wales Staff Handbooks could not only save you money in the event of dispute or disciplinery actions, but it is also about the relationship between employer and employee. It is about managing expectations and providing a fair, open and transparent framework to base the employment relationship on.
Handbooks are designed to answer employees' questions on their employer's procedures and to avoid time-consuming case-by-case practice design.
For example, if an employer has a redundancy policy in its handbook, it will not be under pressure to develop a policy hastily when redundancies are being made. In addition, handbooks help to avoid the risk of having different rules for different employees.
So what should Employee handbooks communicate?
They should cover on how Human Resource matters are dealt. Such as
• harassment
• discrimination
• absence
• family-friendly rights
They can be used to inform employees about performance expectations, and provide good evidence that employees are aware that certain conduct can result in disciplinary action or dismissal.
Employee handbooks can help employers to prove that they have acted fairly in accordance with set policies and procedures and can be invaluable for employers facing a tribunal claim.
If you would like advice or help on writing your Staff Handbook give Joy at the HR Dept West Wales a call on 01239 639 128 or drop her an email.
PS Click here to take advantage of Joy’s Diamond Offer
