Creating an Employee Handbook for Your Veteran-Owned Business

It’s finally here! You’ve put in the effort, your business is growing, and it’s time to take the next step – hiring your first employees. Congratulations! Now that you’ve reached this pivotal stage, it’s important to take precautionary measures to protect your business and effectively train your team. One item that must be at the top of your to-do list is the development of an employee handbook.

Why do I need an employee handbook?

An employee handbook is a conveniently organized collection of all your company’s policies, procedures, and protocols. It also contains your employee’s legal rights and obligations. The benefit of having a comprehensive handbook is that it makes it easy for you to communicate the rules and responsibilities associated with working for your business.

This can come in handy if you have an employee who insists on coming to work in an inappropriate t-shirt. You can refer that employee to the dress code in the handbook.

Having defined and documented policies can contribute to greater morale, consistency in business practices, and mitigate potential liability issues.

What should I include in my employee handbook?

Every employee handbook is going to be different – just like every business is different. You’ll have unique processes and policies, so you cannot simply copy and paste from another company’s employee handbook template. However, every handbook should (at a minimum) cover these seven sections:

• Company Values and Mission Statement
• General Employment Information – including payment schedule, safety procedures, hiring policies, termination procedures, etc.
• Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Laws
• Standards of Conduct – including dress code, ethics, social media policies, conflict resolution policies, drug and alcohol use policy, etc.
• Employee Benefits
• Information on Confidentiality/Non-Disclosure/Conflict of Interest Policies
• Disciplinary Policies

Once I’ve written my employee handbook, what’s the next step?

You’ll want to have an attorney familiar with both the federal and your state’s labor laws review your employee handbook before publishing and distributing to your staff. There may be additional disclaimers that you’ll need to consider based on your industry and employment laws.

Once you have the legal-ese down, don’t forget to make the handbook engaging – you want your employees to read the document!

Once you are satisfied with the finished product – publish your handbook electronically or in hard-copy. Distribute your handbook as part of your new hire process. You’ll want to have each employee sign a receipt or affidavit stating that they received and have read the handbook.

Finally, make sure you review and update your handbook often! As your business grows, your policies may change, and your handbook needs to reflect that.

For more information about running your business, be sure to stay tuned to Veteran on the Move for insight from fellow veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs!