What are staff handbooks?
Contracts of Employment or specifically Written Statements of Particulars are a legal requirement to distribute to staff within two months of starting work. These will contain the contractual agreement between the employer and employee. There may however be further company policies and procedures that you feel do not belong in the Contract of Employment. These can be contained in a Staff Handbook.
A Staff Handbook is commonly non-contractual to enable revisions and updates to be made to the document as legislation changes or to coincide with the development of the company and culture. This can be made and changed without seeking consent from the workforce. If a Staff Handbook is contractual, this can show the significance of rules and processes for both parties however a workforce must consent to changes and should a policy or procedure not be followed, then this would be a breach in contract and could result in a claim or damages.
Common policies held within a Staff Handbook are an Absence Procedure, Family policies such as Maternity Leave, Internet Policy and Equal Opportunities.
Why do staff handbooks matter?
A Staff Handbook , a recommendation and not legally required, commonly outlines company rules, policies, procedures and overall guidelines and responsibilities that are expected between the company and employee. This point of information is beneficial to have in writing and be accessible to staff to eliminate any uncertainty and maintain consistency of procedure and treatment. Both interest of employer and employee are considered within this document.
How can we help you with staff handbooks?
We can:
- Review your current Staff Handbook (and other policies) to ensure it is compliant with HR Best Practice, your culture and legislation.
- Issue a new Handbook to replace previous practice if significantly outdated.
- Design and tailor a new Staff Handbook bespoke to your organisational needs.
- Design specific policies and procedures to suit your culture and rules to fit within or around the Handbook.
- Support and advise on workforce queries on the contents and how to use
- Schedule annual review of HR documentation such as Handbook annually to keep in line with legislation and as your company grows.