Labor Laws California

1

Employers must adopt and introduce
policies, which are reasonable and fair in order
to
have a good employee handbook.
Employers cannot deprive their employees form
their
statutory rights. In case of
conflicts between a companys employee handbook
and
statutory rights, the statute
will prevail over the employee handbook.

Most employees know that one of the
first things you are given when you are hired by
a
company is an employee handbook.
The handbook is given to you because it outlines

the companys personnel policies. A
prudent company either large or small will have
?a
good employee handbook?.
Businesses that we would consider to be smaller
in size
should still have an company
handbook. While I used to recommend a company

handbook with ten or more employees
these days if you have even one employee you

should have an employee handbook. we
say this because of the new ?California Paid Sick

Leave Law ?that went into effect
July1st 2015.
Additionally, the
employee handbook discloses the different
benefits that the company
offers to
its employees, along with various policies and
procedures that are needed to
help
the company run smoothly. An employee handbook is
often called a company
manual. And,
it is the best communication tool between the
employer and employee.
The company
may at its discretion amend, delete, suspend any
company benefit, but it
cannot
deprive the employee from their constitutional
rights.
Any amendment to the employee
handbook must be preceded by company notification

preferably in writing. A good example
that would serve to illustrate the purpose and

reason of an employee handbook would
be a prenuptial agreement a good employee

handbooks helps you to set and
establish expectations for your employees, and
also
outlines what your employees can
expect from the company. Make sure your employee

handbook is clearly detailed. Clarity
is the best policy to us when writing your
companys
employee handbook. Valid
reasons for terminations should be clearly
spelled out in your
2

employee handbook. Use your handbook
as a benchmark for behavior and be sure to

spell out clearly what behavior your
company considers to be gross misconduct as well

as policies that will establish the
actions consider being police offenses.

To be sure that you have included all
polices that you want in your handbook it is
wise
to use a pre-drafted template
which can be customized. Be careful that you do
not use
language that will destroy
your at-will status by implying an employment
contract that
promises anything other
than the employment term is At-Will. Another way
to destroy
your At-Will status is
by terminating an employee without having valid
reasons for the
termination. These
reasons should be clearly spelled out in your
companys policy
manual.

Protect your organization. Use your
handbook to set a benchmark for behavior and

specifically outline what constitutes
gross misconduct and policy violation. If you
have
developed a new employee
handbook, it is vital to communicate and
distribute the new
handbook to all
your employees, not just new hires. They should
also sign a receipt of
acknowledgement
upon receiving the new employee handbook
policies and procedures.
A handbook
will serve as a compass to managers and employees
alike, as long as you
have clearly
stated your companys expectations from them. A
good employee
handbook also helps in
avoiding misunderstandings. Not only that but
written policies
and procedures are
always taken much more seriously than verbal
policy. Your company
handbook could
be presented in court as evidence so the employer
should take care in
drafting company
policies carefully.