Drafting or reviewing employee handbooks often becomes a back-burner project. Even businesses that take the time to create a really good one often treat them as “out-of-sight, out-of-mind.” Copies (or links) may be handed out at orientation, but management typically doesn’t give much thought to handbook contents on a day-to-day basis. That is, until it gets implicated in a legal claim.
A well-tailored and up-to-date employee handbook can be one of the most useful operational and employee relations documents imaginable (not to mention a helpful legal exhibit). Outdated ones and/or versions that don’t jive with applicable laws and regulations can be worse than having no handbook at all. “Bad” or even just “sub-optimal” handbooks leave supervisors without a valuable performance management tool and can undermine a company’s ability to defend against a variety of legal claims. All businesses should review and update these critical documents periodically, seeking professional HR and/or legal advice (a good rule of thumb is to have an experienced lawyer review every few years with internal/non-lawyer HR refreshers in between).
The employment relationship is governed by numerous federal and state (and sometimes local) laws. Some are “common sense;” many are not. Even for employers whose workforce is exclusively in Indiana, there is no such thing as a “universal” handbook. Not a good one, anyway. Copying another company’s handbook often is a great way to save time but usually...
The Presidency has dismissed Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s claim that the Federal Government is withholding 250 billion in Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) dividends for each state, describing the a...