Getting employees to read the Employee Handbook

For many employers, creating an employee handbook seems to require so much effort that they put it off to tomorrow, and as you may expect, tomorrow never comes.

Here at Redwing Solutions we recognise the value of the Employee Handbook. We have seen on numerous occasions the benefits that having an Employee Handbook can have for both the employer and employee.

Employee Handbooks should be non contractual which means they can be updated and revised at any time by the employer without further reference to the employee.

We have all heard of the phrase ‘process not personal’ and never was this more true with the Employee Handbook. Say you decide you don’t have a uniform but equally you don’t want your staff to show too much flesh. By putting a dress code into your Employee Handbook it makes it far easier for the staff member who has to point out that today’s wardrobe choice is inconsistent with your dress code. That’s process not personal in action.

Printed or digital Employee Handbook?

With small employers i.e. 20 and less we recommend you issue a physical printed Employee Handbook. This makes it easy for your employees to check the employment policies at a time and occasion that suits them.

Say your employee was considering adoption, isn’t it better that he/she can read this policy with his/her partner before they come forward to ask about Adoption Leave and Pay from you. An Employee Handbook allows you to communicate with your employees and by issuing them you keep that communication open.

For larger employers, the alternative is often saved to a shared file or cloud based solution whereby employees have the link and they can read the document on a screen. We expect this to become increasingly popular.

A great deal of effort goes into creating your Employee Handbook here at Redwing. We try and write as you would write and to incorporate existing policies and procedures that are up to date and reflect your practice.

If you would like a quote for a new Employee Handbook, please do not hesitate to call us on 01527 306066.