Our corporate clients frequently cite the complexity of the legal and regulatory landscape as one of the biggest challenges they face. While compliance efforts may often seem daunting, implementing an employee handbook is one of the most fundamental steps a company can take to uphold a fair and nondiscriminatory workplace.

An employee handbook should set forth clear, straight-forward rules for employee conduct. Once implemented, these rules should be consistently and fairly applied to all employees. When it becomes necessary to discipline an employee, a company stands the best chance of successfully defending against a discrimination or retaliation claim when it can point to an express handbook provision that prohibits the employee’s conduct. Not surprisingly, a company’s employee handbook is frequently one of the first documents that investigators ask to see in reviewing an administrative claim filed by a current or former employee.

Note too, that even if your company has an employee handbook in place, it is important to conduct periodic reviews to help ensure that the articulated policies are consistent with current laws. Likewise, an outdated handbook may not reflect changes in the company’s policies and practices over time.

Wright Beamer takes pride in working with its clients to design handbooks that reflect each individual workplace. Please contact us today for assistance with drafting or updating your company’s employee handbook.