PPB November 2018

Once developed, be sure to roll the handbook out to employees, train supervisors to properly enforce these policies, and enforce the policies consistently and fairly which means walking the fine line of treating everyone the same and looking at each situation on a case-by-case basis. Also, be sure to have your handbook reviewed and updated every one to two years to remain in compliance with the latest laws and best practices. A compliant employee handbook consists of required federal and state laws as well as certain local regulations your company is required to follow. If the company has employees working inmultiple states—such as remote employees working out of their homes or satellite offices inmultiple states—make sure your policies comply with the laws in each state. This may involve revising policies to encompass all states’ regulations or creating a state-specific section or addendum if not offering the same benefits to all. When drafting a handbook, certain policies should be included if they apply to your company (list is not all-inclusive): Company information: General information about the company and its way of doing business as well as how it complies with federal, state and local law • Introduction, history, values, etc. • Equal Employment Opportunity • Employment At Will (if applicable) • Purpose of the handbook Expected conduct: What the company expects from the employee • Standards of Conduct • Progressive discipline • Personal appearance / Uniforms • Safety • Timekeeping • Work schedule / Attendance / Breaks • Telephone use • Care of company property • Driving for the company • Working from home • Leaving the company Employee Rights: What the employee can expect from the company • Pay procedures – payday, pay cycle, methods of pay and established seven-day work week • Employee classification • Overtime • Workers’ Compensation Employee Benefits: Wide-ranging policies of company-designed and legally- required perks Time off: Paid and unpaid time off employees are allowed to take and the specific requirements for eligibility, making requests, tracking, pay-in-lieu-of and carryover (as determined by the company or by applicable law) Time off usually dictated by the company but may be impacted in part by regulations: • Vacation and/or PTO (combination of vacation and sick) • Holidays • Bereavement Time off that may be dictated by the company or may be required by state or local law: • Sick • Jury duty • Voting • Victim of a crime / Victim of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault • Voluntary emergency responder / disaster responder Leaves of absence – Extended time off (paid or unpaid) that may be required or recommended for compliance under federal or state law: • Medical • Maternity / Parental • FMLA and/or state-mandated • Military Insurance benefits – Include general descriptions of offerings referring to summary plan description for details • Medical / Dental / Vision • Life • Short-term and long-term disability • Retirement plans Finally, while planning and developing your employee handbook, there are certain things to consider. Include employment policies: Employee handbooks should contain policies that outline general expectations, responsibilities, guidelines and benefits. Use language to incorporate most situations while allowing you to have options to determine action on a case-by-case basis (i.e., “Failure to follow may result in disciplinary When it comes to legal compliance, tailor-made is always best. | NOVEMBER 2018 | 75 THINK