7 really good reasons to publish an employee handbook

You’ve been putting it off. We get it. Employee handbooks can be burdensome to create, a pain in the neck to update and the creation of one forces you to assess your business’s foundation. But you need one and you needn’t reinvent the wheel to produce one that’s perfect for your business.

To start the process, obtain a copy of an employee handbook of a company you admire and emulate that format, substituting your unique information. You can hire a freelancer to do job or use a template from resources like SmallBusiness.com (https://fitsmallbusiness.com/employee-handbook-sample/) or FormSwift.com (https://formswift.com/employee-handbook).

No more excuses? Here are 7 reasons to jump on this project immediately:

1. Employees like handbooks because they explain the company’s expectations about how an employee must meet the conditions of their employment.

2. These are legally binding agreements that include specifics that can hold up in court should an employee break rules and you need recourse.

3. Employee handbooks reflect the personality of a company. Make yours entertaining, formal or industry-appropriate, just as long as the contents are thoroughly vetted by your attorney.

4. Handbooks give you the opportunity to showcase your business’s culture, values and mission, and there is no better way to communicate rules and restrictions to staff.

5. Employee handbooks help you meet your obligation to communicate with workers in unambiguous language.

6. An employee handbook gives you a place to showcase benefits employees receive that transcend agreed-to perks negotiated during the hiring process.

7. Handbooks offer guidance to staffers about proper ways to deal with work-related issues like sexual harassment, alcohol and drug use and other sensitive topics.  

At HireShield.com, we start the employment ball rolling by providing in-depth employee background screenings to help clear the backgrounds of the candidates you identify as being good fits for your business. Once they’re on board, your employee handbook gets new hires get up to speed on all things company related, so you can do what you do best: Grow your business.