Employee Handbooks: Are you Getting the Acknowledgment you Deserve?

An employee handbook is essential for a variety of reasons. For one, employee handbooks help protect the company from legal liability by demonstrating the company’s compliance with a variety of labor laws, including state and federal laws that require the presence of written employment policies. In addition, an employee handbook formally delineates company expectations regarding performance and conduct, summarizes the relationship between the employer and employee and provides general information about the organization as well as the benefits and services the company offers.So now that you know the importance of an employee handbook, you should work on its introduction within your company. One of the most vital components of the employee handbook introduction process is that of employee acknowledgment and verification. The acknowledgment is important in order to ensure that all employees have read, understand, and are prepared to comply with company policies.

Below are some guidelines relating to the introduction of an employee handbook as well as the ever so critical employee acknowledgment process:

1. Formally introduce the handbook. Set aside time to inform employees of the importance of the employee handbook and that all employees are responsible for reading and complying with its contents. Employees may have some apprehension with regards to the sudden implementation of the handbook, so it’s important to 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 behaves in a manner consistent with company rules and regulations.

2. Obtain initial acknowledgment. Whenever a handbook is introduced, it is necessary for employees to review the entire document and sign an acknowledgment form. This serves to verify that employees understand company policy and that employment is at-will. If your handbook is online, provide employees with detailed instructions on how to access it. It is also recommended that you provide a timeframe for acknowledging the handbook and stress that employees failing to review the handbook by the established deadline may be subject to disciplinary action.

3. Contents of the acknowledgment. The acknowledgment should inform employees that they are responsible for reading and complying with company policies. Additionally, a signed acknowledgment affirms the employee understands that the handbook is a living document which grows and evolves with the company and that its contents are subject to change. The acknowledgment should also reiterate that employment is at-will and that the employee handbook in no way guarantees employment with the company.

4. Send a reminder, if necessary. If the acknowledgment deadline comes and there are still employees that have not signed the acknowledgment, you should send out a reminder notice. This notice is intended to alert those employees who have yet to acknowledge the employee handbook that they are responsible for reading and complying with its contents. Reiterate that employees failing to sign the acknowledgment form are subject to disciplinary action.

5. Hold employees accountable. Employees that do not acknowledge the handbook should face consequences. This will demonstrate the importance of the company handbook and employee adherence to company policies. However, it’s important to remember that discipline must be administered consistently, meaning all employees that failed to sign the acknowledgment should be subject to the same consequences, whether it is a written warning or a suspension.

6. After revisions, obtain another acknowledgment. Anytime a revision has been made to the employee handbook, inform employees of the change and that they are responsible for reviewing the revised policy. All employees should be required to sign a new acknowledgment when there has been a change in policy or a new policy has been added to the handbook.

7. Make the process a continuous one. It’s recommended that handbook acknowledgments not only occur during the initial introduction of the handbook or when there has been a change to the handbook, but they should also be required annually. A good time to do this is during the yearly performance review. This will ensure that employees are still aware of company policy as well as any changes that may have been made to the handbook.

8. Store records. Obtaining employee acknowledgment of the handbook is useless if you don’t have a system for storing acknowledgment forms. Even if the acknowledgment is electronic, employers should be sure to retain a copy in employee personnel files. This will serve to verify that the employee is aware of company policies and procedures.

The development of an employee handbook doesn’t end with the final sentence of the last policy. An employee handbook requires continual review in order to ensure compliance with current labor laws and company practices. Another important part of the handbook maintenance process is that of employee understanding and awareness. Employers that take a proactive approach to ensuring all employees are knowledgeable of company policy are less likely to have employees that behave contrary to company expectations.