C’mon you’re almost there: 10 simple strategies for getting your handbook across the finish line

The end is in sight: You’ve taken our consultants’ advice and worked diligently to avoid the most common employee handbook mistakes, you’ve chosen practical policies that align with your business needs, and you’ve kept in mind those critical policy writing do’s and don’ts. The result: a legally sound and valuable communication tool known as the employee handbook.If you’re like many of our clients, at this point you’re probably thinking, “I’m finally home-free!” Well, not so fast: Remember the company we told you about who spent all that time and money creating an employee handbook, just to let it sit on the shelf and collect dust? Failing to implement your handbook after exerting so much time and energy creating it would be like quitting a marathon with only a mile left to go. Surprisingly, this is one of the most common employee handbook mistakes.

Your last hurdle, handbook implementation, is one of the most important steps in the process. But that doesn’t mean it has to be difficult. To ensure your handbook gets the mileage it deserves, follow these 10 simple strategies for implementing it:

1. Decide on a medium. The most traditional means for distributing an employee handbook is through print. While it may look pretty, the major disadvantage of having a paper copy occurs when changes to the handbook need to be made. One change can affect the pagination of the entire document, resulting in increased administrative time as titles, tables and page numbers need to be updated and multiple copies of handbooks reprinted. To simplify handbook maintenance, many employers are now making their handbook available electronically, on the company’s intranet or internal server. Depending on the size of your company, electronic handbooks have the potential to save you hundreds on printing costs. 

Cost-saving tip: Why not save some extra cash by hosting your handbook online? With the Employee Handbook Wizard™, you can create a secure handbook portal customized with your company logo, colors and welcome message and give your employees 24/7 access. Plus, any time you edit your policies, it’s automatically updated and posted to your online portal, saving you reprinting costs.

2. Train your managers. Prior to distributing the handbook to your employees, meet with company supervisors and educate them on the policies included within the handbook, the purpose behind each policy, and how the policies are to be enforced. After you are confident that supervisors understand the ins and outs of each of the policies, you can then meet with employees to go over the handbook.

3. Introduce to your employees. Never assume that your employees will become familiar with your company’s handbook on their own. You should demonstrate the handbook’s importance as a communication tool by setting aside time to discuss its contents and to answer any questions they may have. Employees may have some apprehension with regards to the sudden implementation of a handbook. Inform them that the handbook is intended to protect staff as well as the company. But more importantly, it is designed to ensure everyone is aware of company procedures and that employees behave in a manner consistent with company rules and regulations.

4. Require acknowledgment. After reviewing the handbook, all employees should be required to sign an acknowledgment form, verifying that they have read and understand the handbook’s contents. By signing this form, employees agree that they are subject to the guidelines of the handbook and that the handbook is not intended to be a contract of employment. And of course, be sure to retain signed acknowledgments in employee personnel files.

Time-saving tip: You can streamline the process with paperless employee acknowledgments, included with the Employee Handbook Wizard™. This allows you to quickly send mass acknowledgment requests from your own email program, track who’s completed their e-signatures, and store completed acknowledgments online in downloadable PDF format.

5. Don’t forget about new employees. Not only is the initial introduction of an employee handbook important, but so is the on-going introduction of the document to new employees. A review of the handbook should be incorporated into your company’s orientation process. This will serve to establish company expectations from the get-go while providing new hires with a sense of the company’s culture.

6. Integrate within your culture. Refer to your company’s employee handbook regularly and make it a living document within your organization. Utilize it as a constant resource when employees, including supervisors, ask questions. By visibly using the handbook as a means for answering questions and interpreting company rules and regulations, employees will also begin to use the handbook as a reference when they have questions. Scheduling an annual employee handbook meeting may be another way to integrate the handbook into your company’s culture. This will allow you to reinforce company policies and provides an additional forum for your employees to ask questions.

7. Consistently apply polices. Employers need to ensure that managers and other employees with supervisory responsibilities not only understand the policies and procedures set forth in the handbook, but that they use the handbook to guide their actions and decisions. In doing so, all managers need to be sure that they consistently apply the policies within the handbook. Inconsistently applying policies will be viewed as discriminatory and biased, leaving you susceptible to legal liability.

8. Gauge employee reactions. An employee handbook is expected to grow with the company. After implementing the handbook, pay particular attention to how employees react to specific policies, whether the procedures within the handbook are effective in resolving employee concerns and whether there are issues that have arisen not covered by the handbook. This type of analysis will be powerful for determining your revision needs.

9. Review & update your handbook. Periodically reviewing your handbook will allow you to ensure that it remains compliant with applicable laws and that it is still meeting your needs. To ensure your revisions go smoothly, it’s important to first establish an approval process for edits. Determine who is authorized to make changes to the employee handbook and who must approve such changes. You will also need to think about how you will communicate any handbook changes to your employees. Try to provide as much notice as possible before a policy change goes into effect in order to ensure employees have adequate time to adjust to the change.

Make it easier: When all policy changes can be made online, as can be done with the Employee Handbook Wizard™, your policies become much simpler to maintain – not to mention more cost-effective.

10. Require acknowledgment of policy revisions. When a change to your handbook does occur, you should take all necessary steps in communicating those changes to your workforce: send memos, post notices in common areas, and discuss the changes at staff meetings. After any changes have been introduced it is necessary to again require employees to sign an acknowledgement form verifying they have read and understand the policy change. Doing so will ensure all employees are aware of the most current policies.

C’mon, go that extra mile; make sure the hard work you put into developing your handbook pays off by having a successful implementation plan. Spend the time necessary to train managers on company policy, educate employees on the contents of your handbook, and review and update your handbook regularly.

Ignorance is bliss, but being clueless can be dangerous: Our experts share some of their top employee handbook horror stories

Ignorance is bliss, but being clueless can be dangerous: Our experts share some of their top employee handbook horror stories

If your employee handbook was going to be audited tomorrow, how do you think it would go? If your stomach just dropped because (a) you don’t have a handbook; (b) your handbook hasn’t been updated in over 12 months; (c) your handbook consists of a potluck of policies you and your employees contributed over the years or; (d) your “handbook” is really just a few sheets of paper stapled together, then stop what you’re doing right now and read this Tip.

Over the years our HR consultants have reviewed hundreds of handbooks, and we’ve compiled our experiences—with the anonymity of the guilty intact—to bring you some of the most common handbook mistakes. Over the next several weeks, we’ll be sharing them with you in the hopes that others’ follies will help you to save valuable time and money by giving you the inside scoop on creating, managing and implementing your handbook the right way.

Let’s begin by reviewing what NOT to do:

Mistake 1: A handbook with holes

One of our clients proudly handed us a policy manual with the following table of contents:

• Company History
• Company Hours
• Paid Time Off & Holidays
• Health, Dental, & Vision Insurance
• Short-term & Long-term Disability
• Employee Discounts
• Timekeeping

Notice something missing? Yes! About 20 essential policies. While it’s important to communicate company benefits, the handbook should also serve to convey the company’s expectations regarding performance and conduct and to meet legal requirements that call for certain policies to be communicated to employees in writing. Avoid gaping holes in your handbook by learning about what policies to include.

Mistake 2: Policies that make you say “Huh?”

Here’s an excerpt from a Florida financial services company’s policy on progressive discipline: “Employees found to have dishonored company policy shall advance through the following disciplinary steps: first offense: verbal warning; second offense: written warning; third offense: suspension; fourth offense: termination. “

What problems do you see with this policy? Well…it’s confusing, vague and way too limiting. This policy doesn’t take into account each unique circumstance and leaves no room for management discretion. Thanks to our team of HR consultants, their policy is now straightforward and does not limit the company to following the progressive discipline process sequentially.

Mistake 3: A handbook covered in cobwebs

“We just never got around to implementing it.”

We can’t tell you the number of times we’ve heard this one. If you think the hard part is creating an employee handbook, there are many businesses out there that may say otherwise. From our experience the “we-just-never-got-around-to-implementing-it” excuse is due to the perceived time involved as well as an uncertainty about how to carry out the process.

Your plan of attack: Set aside time to discuss the contents of the handbook with your staff and to answer any questions they may have. And remember, not only is the initial introduction of an employee handbook important, but so is its introduction to new employees.

Mistake 4: “Out of sight, out of mind”: Failure to regularly review and update policies

“HELP! We haven’t updated our handbook since we created it 3 years ago!”

Sound familiar? An employee handbook that is out of date can be more damaging than not having one at all. Regularly updating your handbook will help to ensure that it remains compliant with applicable laws and that it is still meeting your needs. Get insider tips for effectively reviewing and updating your employee handbook.

Mistake 5: Fire at will—but only if you have a disclaimer

We’ve heard it with our own ears: a manager who thinks his staff is doing a great job says, “Keep up the good work and you’ll be a lifer”. Or“You’ll always have a job as long as I’m around.”

You wouldn’t want your employees thinking they’ve got a job for life, would you? Your best defense against breach of contract claims is a well written employment at-will disclaimer. An at-will disclaimer makes it clear that you do not intend to have the handbook construed as a “contract” or promise of employment. Disclaimers can even help to protect the company from verbal contracts made by managers, whether intentional or not. Get tips for writing effective handbook disclaimers.

Mistake 6: Not holding employees responsible

It’s simple: The handbook acknowledgment form, usually a single sheet of paper, is necessary in order to ensure that all employees verify that they have read, understand, and are prepared to comply with company policies. But why don’t more employers require acknowledgments? Most likely it’s the perceived time and energy that’s involved in the acknowledgment process: sending them any time there is an update, keeping track of who’s signed it and who still needs to, and properly storing completed forms.

Save time and money: The exclusive HR411 Employee Handbook Wizard simplifies this process for you by requesting your employees to complete acknowledgments electronically. Returned acknowledgments are stored in your account to be viewed and downloaded at your convenience—no paper involved.

 Mistake 7: Cutting corners by creating a Federally-focused handbook

Too often we see handbooks that only have a federal focus. What many employers forget is that state law is often more stringent than federal law. And when the two laws differ, the law that provides employees with greater protections must be followed.

Here’s one California employer’s policy on overtime: “Overtime is payable for all hours worked over 40 per week at a rate of one and one-half times the nonexempt employee’s regular hourly rate.”

What’s wrong with this? While the above policy complies with federal law it doesn’t comply with California overtime provisions. Almost all California employees must be paid overtime for all hours worked in excess of 8 in a workday, in excess of 40 in a workweek, or for the first 8 hours worked on the seventh consecutive day worked in a workweek. Be sure to check your state requirements or ask our experts and get the peace of mind that comes with meeting both your state and federal obligations.

Mistake 8: Managers are clueless about how to apply company policies

Have you held meetings with managers on how each policy is to be enforced?

We’ve seen all too many times: inconsistency breeds legal claims. Consider this: an employee files a discrimination suit because he was suspended following his third tardy in a 30 day period; but Sally, his co-worker, was only given a written warning for the same exact infraction. To prevent claims of bias, make sure managers use even-handed discipline and consistently apply all company policies.

Stay tuned for more “tricks of the trade”:

This is by no means a complete list of the mistakes employers make when it comes to employee handbooks and policies. While these mistakes are all too common, our upcoming Handbook Series will divulge the tricks of the trade to help ensure you don’t fall victim. It’s easy to reap the benefits of a legally sound employee handbook—if you know what you’re doing. So, stay tuned for tips, tricks and details on how to PROPERLY create, maintain, and implement an employee handbook