Your business is only as good as the people who work for it. An important part of ensuring that your employees understand their rights and responsibilities is providing a written guide that communicates important information about your company.
Here are a few reasons why an employee handbook is essential for the success of your business.
Defines your values and culture
The handbook is an opportunity to express the mission and values of your organization, as well as how your employees fit into the workplace culture. You will want to help your workers understand the vision of the company so they can embrace and incorporate that vision into their everyday activities.
Sets expectations about behavior
If you want your employees to follow a code of conduct, you need to set expectations from the beginning of their employment. In your employee handbook, you can establish a general framework for expected behavior in the workplace, as well as provide more specific policies.
Detail employee rights
You should also let employees what kind of treatment to expect from their employer and their colleagues. An employee handbook should let workers know what they can do if they feel harassed or discriminated against in the workplace and how the company will handle such behavior.
Reduces liability
By creating and following the guidelines outlined in your employee handbook, you can better defend your business against legal claims and unemployment issues.
Just having a generic employee handbook is not enough. You should accurately reflect the values of your organization and tailor the handbook to your industry and specific legal concerns.
