Many companies have personnel manuals they’ve worked hard to put together and have not looked at for five years or more.
If you’re one of those companies, or are simply looking to put together a personnel manual for the first time, here are some things to consider:
- Does your personnel manual have a section addressing social media and how entries reflecting badly on your company can result in disciplinary action?
- Does your personnel manual have a section on post-termination references that actually reflects what you do in real life?
- Does your personnel manual address the last several problems or termination-level offenses your company experienced?
- Does your personnel manual place your employees on notice that the company reserves the right to monitor their online activities, and even email, if company equipment is being used?
Key Takeaway: As with many aspects of business, it’s better to have these policies in place and not need them, than to need them and not have them.