Employee Handbook – Advantages and Disadvantages.
There are many positive aspects of creating an employee handbook. Generally, every employer can be benefited by increasing communication with employees regarding company policies, facilities, code of conduct, rules and regulations. Anyway, in this case, employers must have the willingness and ability to show honor toward commitments that highlighted in the employee handbook. It can notice that poorly drafted, enforced policies may be the source of additional problems for employers.
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One of the major significance of an employee handbook is to increase the communication level between employees and employers. An employee handbook is a great opportunity for the employer to show its employees regarding workplace practices and procedures. This is particularly helpful to the new joiner who can become better acquainted with workplace practices at the outset of their employment.
An employee handbook is also creating a good sign to communicate guidelines and policies under which a company conducting. It is a source copy for the employer to announce, clarify or change policies and also for the employee to look to for a common and better understanding of the company’s code of conduct. In addition, an employee handbook can express the company’s vision and mission; those can contribute to the furtherance of the company’s corporate environment.
By informing what the organization expects from the employees and what the employees can expect of the organization, in this case, an employee handbook helps to minimize the anxiety of employees by reducing the fear of the unknown things. This kind of manual can clearly be clarifying everything from the status of the employment relationship, to the ramifications and process which will be followed in the event of employee wrong code of conduct or dissatisfied performance. This tool covers all the issues that may be included in the relationship of employers and employees.
On the other hand, it can also treat as misunderstanding and dispute if it was not clearly made or drafted. In order to skip such kinds of problems that can arise from an employee handbook, it can suggest that you acquire legal assistance and guidance from a labor attorney before you make it.
Basically, an attorney can fix the issues that will be covered by an employee handbook:
You should inform your employees that you expect to show up for a job, unless they will show a valid reason for being absent. An employee handbook may state that en employee who is always absent should be subjected to various disciplinary actions.
Whether salary is a major concern of every employee; you may confirm that it is included in the employee handbook. An employee handbook should state the method of how an employee’s salary is calculated.
An employer should think of ways on how the problem can be resolved outside of the court. Employees who are involved in a dispute may be required to undergo an ADR process like arbitration.
An employee handbook will enable the employer to control the performance of your employees. Through this manual, employees are able to know their duties as well as the different things that expect from employees.
It enables the employee to learn what kind of working relationship should exist between an employee and an employer.
It allows the employer to implement rules which will create a harmonious and efficient working environment.
An employee handbook provides different rules which cover all employees, not just selected personnel.
An employee handbook can be helped employees in many ways, it can also lead to the cause of different misunderstandings in the workplace.
Here are some negative aspects of an employee handbook –
An employee handbook needs to upgrade regularly so that it should be included new company policies.
An employer may be exposed to different duties and liabilities if the handbook was not carefully made.
An employer may not be able to fulfill promises that already included in it, especially ones that comprise salary raises and other benefits.
In a nutshell, an employee handbook offers an opportunity to explain affirmatively and ensure that employment is at-will, thereby possible insulating the company from many claims. This helps to put all parties on notice as to the nature, scope, and rules of the working relationship from the outsider.
