When human resources questions began taking too much of his time, Richard Doyle of Bryce & Doyle Craftsmanship in Rochester, N.Y., knew he needed a company handbook.
Doyle, whose $1.8-million firm has 10 employees, began by trying to edit a manual from another company, but, he says, “we wasted an awful lot of time and got nowhere.” He realized he needed professional help and hired HR Works, which offers human resources support in the western New York region.
Writing an employee handbook “is not a freelance writing initiative,” says Candace Walters, HR Works president. “You have to know federal and state laws and their ramifications. You're writing not for today, but for five years down the road.”
Doyle and his employees had input into the document, working together to create company goals and philosophy. “It's a tool to make things run smoother,” Doyle says. It's also a changing entity, and HR Works sends Doyle quarterly updates on state and federal regulations.
Although there are Web sites and software that can create handbooks, both Walters and human resources consultant Lynda Ford of the Ford Group urge caution. Says Ford, “Could you remodel a home from plans off the Web? Probably, but it wouldn't have the quality of workmanship. You wouldn't know your work was sturdy and enduring until you had a problem.”
Ford says to check references on the consultant you hire, look at previous handbooks, and always have an employment law attorney review your handbook before you distribute it.
Do You Need a Handbook?According to Lynda Ford, president of the Ford Group in Rome, N.Y., you need an employee manual if any of the following apply to you.
You use more than one hand to count total employees, including you.Employees are left on their own or work from a remote location.Your industry is regulated to the extent that if you don't follow regulations you have liability concerns.You field human resources questions, particularly repetitive questions, on a regular basis.