Top 5 Employee Handbook Policies to Revisit

Every business should consider providing or updating their company employee handbooks to reflect current trends that are highly relevant in today’s workplace. The perception that employee handbooks are bland stacks of standard policies lead some employers to become static in routines and forget to employ creative and strategic policies that can provide important benefits to the company.

Consider focusing on at least the following five employee handbook policies:

1. Employment Classifications. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has been increasing its compliance enforcement efforts, and employers must understand how to initiate proper assessment in various areas of wage and hour laws (e.g. employee vs. independent contractor, exempt vs. non-exempt, full-time vs. part-time).
2. Health and Safety. Another area of DOL attention involves safe and productive workplace environments.  The federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requires covered employers to maintain a workplace that is free of hazards. Having specific policies in place is a key part of the process.
3. Social Media. With the widespread usage of social networking sites and technological equipment (i.e. smart phones), employers should remain mindful of how their employees are using the internet and thus how they may be promoting your business and the image of the company. In addition, social media can cross barriers between confidentiality and privacy rights. So, a sound policy would be able to pinpoint the functionality and appropriate time frames that allow for social media usage during work as well as non-work hours.
4. Telecommuting.  Telecommuting can be used as an important recruitment and retention tool, and more companies are allowing more workers to work remotely more often.
5. Benefits.  Whether trying to stay on top of various health care reform laws, apply family medical leave updates, or provide vacation and sick leave time-off, it is vital for employers to ensure that their benefits-related policies remain current.

To be sure your Employee Handbook is up to speed, conduct a thorough review, at least, on an annual basis with the guidance from an HR Professional, if needed.

GTM’s Employee Handbook service ensures compliance with labor laws. Contact us for more information at (518) 373-4111.