Developing Company Policies and Procedures

Most every company will benefit from having documented human resources company policies and procedures.  Company policies are often gathered in an Employee Policy Manual, or more commonly referred to as an Employee Handbook.  Advantages to an Employee Handbook are quite straightforward:

• Provides consistent decision-making – Each time an issue comes up, for example bereavement pay, it doesn’t require a new decision. It is as simple as going to the handbook to see what decisions are already in place.
• Supports the company’s values and goals – It can be easy to lose focus on company values and goals unless they are clearly defined and documented. HR policies that support the values and goals of the company keep the organization focused on the core principles of the business.
• Provides for quick resolution of issues – Again, by eliminating the need to consult with others, have meetings and form consensus, by having core policies and decisions in place, employees and/or managers can quickly answer questions by consulting the Employee Handbook.
• Acts as an anchor during times of change – During times of management change, having documented policies ensures continuity in the operations of the business and does not leave the organization subject to uncertainty.
• Accountability – Employee Handbooks keep managers and employees accountable to the agreed upon processes and policies.
• Minimizes risk – Knowing that there are clearly documented policies in place that are consistently implemented, eliminates risk in inconsistency of management practices.
• Ease and consistency of communication – Employee handbooks are a great means to communicate the same message, on the same topics to every employee and manager. Typically Employee Handbooks are provided to new hires who are asked to sign an acknowledgement form indicating that they have received the document.

Employee Handbooks will vary in content, but following is a sample outline of what is included in an Employee Handbook:

• Cover letter from chief officer of company or senior HR representative
• Acknowledgement of receipt page
• Diversity and compliance
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
  • Anti-harassment Policy and Compliant Procedure
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Employment
  • At Will statement (if appropriate)
  • Employee classifications
  • Background and reference checks
  • Internal transfers/promotions
  • Nepotism, employment of relatives and personal relationships
  • Discipline process
  • Separation of employment
• Workplace Safety
  • Drug-free workplace
  • Workplace bullying
  • Violence in the workplace
  • How to report safety concerns
  • Smoke-free workplace
• Workplace Expectations
  • Confidentiality
  • Conflicts of interest
  • Outside employment
  • Attendance and punctuality
  • Attire and grooming
  • Electronic communication and internet usage
  • Social media – acceptable use
  • Solicitations, distributions and posting of material
  • Personal telephone calls
  • Employee personnel files
• Compensation
  • Performance and salary reviews
  • Payment of wages
  • Time reporting
  • Meal/rest breaks
  • Overtime pay
  • On-call pay
  • Employee travel and reimbursement
• Time Off/Leaves of Absence
  • Holiday Pay
  • PTO (Paid Time Off) or vacation and sick policies
  • Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)
  • Personal leave of absence
  • Bereavement leave
  • Jury duty
  • Voting leave
  • Military leave
  • Lactation/breastfeeding
• Benefits
  • Medical and dental insurance
  • Domestic partners
  • Flexible spending account
  • Group life insurance
  • Short term disability
  • Long term disability
  • 401k plan
  • Workers compensation
  • Tuition assistance
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

While not every employer will need to include all of these topics, it is a rough outline of things to think through.  Starting somewhere with an Employee Handbook is better than having no start.  Handbooks should be considered documents that are continually subject to change, so updates can and should be provided and documented on a regular basis as well as changes communicated to all employees and managers.