Does an employer need to have an Employee Handbook?
There is no law requiring employers to have an employee handbook, but it's a good idea. A handbook lets you inform your employees about your workplace rules in an efficient, consistent way. Your employees will know what is expected of them and what they can expect of you. Good communication leads to better productivity and staff retention.
There are some procedures by law you are required to give to employee and an employee handbook is a good place to put them. It is also a useful place to keep forms relating to sickness self-certification, holiday requests, expense claims etc.
Below is a list of polices commonly found in an Employee Handbook:
|
Policy Name |
A
Required by law |
B
Additional recommended employment policies |
|
|
1 |
Health & Safety |
Yes |
|
|
2 |
Disciplinary Rules & Procedure |
Yes |
|
|
3 |
Grievance Procedure |
Yes |
|
|
4 |
Equal Opportunities |
Yes |
|
|
5 |
Sickness Absence Policy |
Yes |
|
|
6 |
Annual Leave Policy |
Yes |
|
|
7 |
Flexible Working |
Yes |
|
|
8 |
Capability Procedure |
Yes |
|
|
9 |
Anti-Bullying & Harassment Policy |
||
|
10 |
Email, Computer & Internet Use Policy |
Yes |
|
|
11 |
Smoking, Alcohol & Drugs Policy |
Yes |
|
|
12 |
Corporate Social Responsibility Policy |
Yes |
|
|
13 |
Maternity Procedure & Policy |
Yes |
|
|
14 |
Paternity Leave Policy |
Yes |
|
|
15 |
Parental Leave Policy |
Yes |
|
|
16 |
Adoption Procedure & Leave Policy |
Yes |
|
|
17 |
Additional Time off Policy (e.g. Jury Service, Time off for Emergency Dependents Care, Compassionate Leave) |
Yes |
|
|
18 |
Social Media Policy |
Yes |
|
|
19 |
Whistleblowing Procedure & Policy |
Yes |
|
|
20 |
Disaster Recovery Policy |
Yes |
|
|
21 |
Core Office Hours |
Yes |
|
|
22 |
Expense Policy |
Yes |
|
|
23 |
Performance & Development Reviews |
Yes |
|
|
24 |
Probationary Period Policy |
Yes |
|
|
25 |
Conflict of Interest Policy |
Yes |
|
|
26 |
Dress Code |
Yes |
Traditionally, employees were provided with a heavy print out of the full employee handbook upon starting at the company and some employers printed all their policies and included them in their offer packs. However, with the constant changes in employment law, these heavy door stoppers of employee handbooks were becoming out of date almost as soon as they were being printed.
Nowadays, thankfully those days are in the past and most employers save their employment policies in a shared electronic location where all staff can access e.g. on a shared drive, on the intranet. We recommend you save each employment policy separately – this makes updating them easier. For those staff who do not have access electronically to the employment policies, you could keep a printed set of all your policies in a folder in a key staff area.
How we can help
If you don’t have any employment policies in place, Shaw Gibbs can provide you with a set of fully compliant, robust and easy to follow employment policies and processes on the key areas. These will be tailored to your business’s requirements. We will work in consultation with you to identify the appropriate HR policies and procedures right for your organisation.
Are you confident your policies are up to date with employment law? Shaw Gibbs can ensure you are fulfilling your legal obligations as an employer with regards to employment law by reviewing all your policies and recommending any changes required.
For a free consultation on employee handbooks and employment policies please contact kerry.whitfield@shawgibbs.com or phone 01865 292260