[...]... employee handbook can actually help you manage and control your relationship with your employees 1 The Purposes of an Employee Handbook An employee handbook is an indispensable workplace tool, because it can help you communicate with your employees, manage your workforce (and your managers), streamline your organization and protect your business from lawsuits We cover each of these benefits in detail... 12 :2 Punctuality and Attendance 12 /4 12 :3 Dress, Grooming and Personal Hygiene 12 /6 12 :4 Pranks and Practical Jokes 12 /10 12 :5 Threatening, Abusive or Vulgar Language 12 /12 12 :6 Horseplay 12 /13 12 :7 Fighting 12 /14 12 :8 Sleeping on the Job 12 /15 12 :9 Insubordination 12 /17 12 :10 Progressive Discipline 12 /19 13 Health and. .. Drug and Alcohol Use at Work 17 /3 17 :2 Inspections to Enforce Policy Against Drugs and Alcohol 17 /7 17 :3 Drug Testing 17 /8 17 :4 Leave for Rehabilitation 17 /10 17 :5 Rehabilitation and Your EAP 17 /13 18 Trade Secrets and Conflicts of Interest 18 :1 Confidentiality and Trade Secrets 18 /3 18 :2 Conflicts of Interest 18 /6 19 Discrimination and Harassment 19 :1. .. policies, you are talking to your employees Make sure you are saying what you want to say in the way you want to say it b Management Workers are not mind readers Although you may know what your practices and policies are, without a handbook, employees, managers and supervisors have no place to turn for this information This creates an environment ripe for trouble, both legal and practical Employee morale will... 10 /7 10 :4 Paid Time Off 10 /10 10 :5 Family and Medical Leave 10 /14 10 :6 Bereavement Leave 10 /19 10 :7 Military Leave 10 /20 10 :8 Time Off to Vote 10 /23 10 :9 Jury Duty 10 /25 11 Performance 11 :1 Job Performance Expectations 11 /2 11 :2 Job Performance Reviews 11 /4 12 Workplace Behavior 12 :1 Professional Conduct 12 /2... eager to be the proud owner of an employee handbook, we should warn you that there is a catch Well, two catches: Handbooks don’t write themselves, and there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” handbook You can’t simply purchase a generic handbook, slap your company’s name on the cover and distribute it to your employees If you want an effective handbook for your workplace, you are going to have... down and actually create it, with policies and language that reflect your company’s culture, values and personnel practices Don’t despair, however We’ve designed this book to make the process easy and straightforward, taking you step by step through planning, writing and distributing a handbook Using this book, you can create an employee handbook that’s tailored to your company’s needs, with minimal... each of your employees to attend one) At the meeting, explain that the company has a new employee handbook to set forth the company’s policies Let your employees know that you expect each of them to read the handbook and abide by its contents And tell everyone that you want them to sign H/7 H/8 CREATE YOUR OWN EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK a form acknowledging that they have received the handbook (this important... about benefits, hours and pay, your employee handbook imparts your company’s culture, values and history When was your company founded? Why do you think it is successful? What attitude do you want your employees to take towards their jobs and customers? As you take our standard policies and modify them to suit your workplace, remember this most basic and obvious aspect of employee handbooks: Through the... you may know the answer right away (“You get ten vacation days”); other times, you may have to think a bit or come up with something new (“What is our policy on paternity leave?”) In such situations, a good employee handbook is as essential as any real live member of your management team It knows all the answers and it communicates them clearly to your employees Indeed, an employee handbook can do a lot . Family and Medical Leave 10 /14 10 :6 Bereavement Leave 10 /19 10 :7 Military Leave 10 /20 10 :8 Time Off to Vote 10 /23 10 :9 Jury Duty 10 /25 11 Performance 11 :1 Job Performance Expectations 11 /2 11 :2. Performance Reviews 11 /4 12 Workplace Behavior 12 :1 Professional Conduct 12 /2 12 :2 Punctuality and Attendance 12 /4 12 :3 Dress, Grooming and Personal Hygiene 12 /6 12 :4 Pranks and Practical Jokes 12 /10 12 :5. and Safety 13 :1 Workplace Safety 13 /2 13 :2 Workplace Security 13 /4 13 :3 What to Do in an Emergency 13 /7 13 :4 Smoking 13 /9 13 :5 Violence 13 /13 14 Employee Privacy 14 :1 Workplace Privacy 14 /3 14 :2