12 Sep The Employee Handbook

The Employee Handbook is an important document that is vital to the proper running of any business, which will ensure that employees have a common and clear understanding of your processes and how you operate, as well as providing employees with essential information on employment procedures and legal requirements.

Typical contents of an employee handbook will include the following:

Grievance Policy

Disciplinary Procedure

Dignity at Work Policy & Procedure

Annual Leave Booking

Other Forms of Statutory Leave ( carers, parents, adoptive, parental, maternity, force majeure etc)

Health & Safety Policies

Use of Mobile Phones

Social Media Policy

Absence Management

Training & Development

The Employee Handbook supports the contract of employment which contains core terms and conditions of employment such as work location, salary, job title, restrictive covenants etc that are relevant to each individual role,

It is recommended that the Employee Handbook and its contents are not made contractual and incorporated into the contract of employment, as changing contractual terms will require employee consent, which is not practical when workplace policies and procedures need to be updated on an ongoing basis.

Additionally, any breaches of policies that form part of an employee’s contract of employment could give rise to claims for breach of contract even when relatively minor.

However, it is important that employees have an opportunity to read the handbook and confirm their acceptance and understanding of it’s application to them.