What Issues Should Every Employment Handbook Cover?

An employee handbook can’t cover everything. But some companies with remote employees will try. These well-intended companies want to follow every state and local law. Unfortunately, drafting policies with this intent is difficult when employees work nationwide. Plus, the more words your handbook has, the less likely your employees will read and follow the handbook’s policies. 

When remote employees are scattered throughout the country, you'll have thousands of pages in your handbook if you try to cover every law or issue. You’ll also have cumbersome, difficult-to-administer, or contradictory policies.

You need to cover the details without becoming bogged down in them. To do this, focus on the big-picture issues and try not to obsess over the minutiae. Some of the fundamental points you’ll want to cover with the handbook include: 

• Sexual Harassment

• Retaliation 

• Sick Leave

• Vacation 

• Family Leave

• Parental Leave

• Reporting Claims

• Wage and Hour

• At-Will Status

At the end of your company’s employee handbook, you’ll also want to include an acknowledgement for your remote employees to sign that they read, received, and understood the employee handbook. Keep this acknowledgment in the employee’s personnel file because it proves the employee knew or should have known about company policies. If you later have to fire an employee for violating a company policy, and that employee sues, he will likely fail in claiming ignorance of company policy.

The acknowledgment can also be an opportunity for building in a few limited but critical agreements for the company and your remote employee. Those obligations might include reasonable rules for resolving legal disputes or timelines on when employees may file lawsuits. In a later chapter, we’ll explore why this is so important, especially with remote employees.