The Handbook, Essay Example

Introduction

An employee handbook may be termed a business’ or company’s manual. It is a document that is given to the staff once they have been employed. It includes the core values of the business in question and the expectations of the new member(s) of the company. It also contains the dos and don’ts of the company and serves as the day to day guidance to the staff in terms of what is expected of them in regard to discipline. Various companies may have various names for the handbook; some may call it a manual, but the purpose served remains the same (Morrissey 2008). It is usually the role of the human resource manager to ensure every staff member gets their own handbook and any unclear content is explained.

Components of the Employee Handbook

The handbook should tell the employee everything about the company. It describes the history of the company since its founding. It gives the vision, mission and core values of the company or business. It also highlights the objectives of the company. It may lay out the plans (short term, strategic and long-term) of the company although these tend to be captured in the company’s plan.  It also gives the companies perceived strengths and the reason for their success in business. It gives guidelines on discipline and dismissal from work, substance use while within the precincts of the company and may give a guide on the expected dress code. The handbook also explains the pecking order in the company and sets out the protocol and chain of command to be adhered to when handling business issues (BPP Learning Media. 2009). Confidentiality in regard to company information is also covered by a comprehensive employee handbook. Finally, the handbook contains a form where the new staff signs indicating that they have read, understood and are willing to abide by the rules therein.

Importance of the Employee Handbook

The handbook can be termed the constitution of the company. As mentioned above, it gives the dos and don’ts in the company. The handbook ensures coherence within the company by setting out the duties of each of the cadres of the staff in the company. It also serves to orientate new staff into the company. Terms of reference, remuneration (including merit awards) and promotion as well as punitive measures are also outlined through the handbook. A handbook sheds light on the use of company equipment and tools such as telephone. It also elaborates on retirements, retrenchment, annual leave, further professional training, insurance and performance contracting (assessment).

The written down rules and policies enable the management to enforce the company policy and maintain inter employee discipline and relations with other companies and the public.

Impacts of a Defective Employee Handbook

A defective company policy where there is no written down policy in the form of an employee handbook has led to expensive litigation against the management. As a result, companies lose millions of dollars in these cases. In addition the image of the company, especially audit firms is seriously dented (Donkin, 2004). Litigations also arise when client information has been leaked to the public and in extension to their competitors due to poor employee discipline stemming from defective employee handbook.

Conclusion

In summary, an employee handbook is a must have for companies irrespective of their size. It may be the only cushion against unnecessary lawsuits. However, there are some considerations that need to be taken in the formulation of these manuals. The handbook needs to be regularly updated to capture new legislation. There is need to use languages that the employees are comfortable with even if it entails using more than one language depending on the crops of the employees. The handbook also needs to be specific to the laws of the country where the company is situated, thus multinationals may have varying versions of their employee handbooks.

References

BPP Learning Media. (2009). Performance Management. London: BPP publishers.

Donkin, R  (2004). Human resource and reorganization: Managing the change challenge. Change agenda, London, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London:

Morissey (2008). The Employee Handbook: Pitfalls and Importance of Employer Communication. Retrieved 03 December 2009. Available. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/691269/the_employee_handbook_pitfalls_and.html?cat=17