Employee Handbook Essay

There has been a presumption that an employee handbook can be used to protect an employer at the time of disciplining or discharging the employee in a litigation case. An employee handbook is a set of policies, procedures, working conditions, and behavioral expectations that steer employee actions in the workplace. With a well-written, comprehensive handbook, employees always know what is expected of them at work. They know how their employer will address and apply the policies and procedures of the business and what they, as employees, can expect from the employer. It binds both parties to follow the terms of employment until it ends or until the terms are changed. An important clause in employee handbook is the at will statement that is found typically in the back of the book.

The at-will doctrine can also give employers the ability to fire employees for reasons that could be discriminatory but they will use this to justify the firings whereas, employers should be bound by anything written in an employee handbook when disciplining or discharging the employee as long as the employee signs acknowledging the agree to abide by the information in the handbook. Hence, according to Johnson & Gardner, 1989, employees don’t sue because of hand book per se, they sue based on the perception that they have been mistreated. The handbook becomes the vehicle for addressing the perceived unfairness.

Employers should evaluate the handbook and update anything that is obsolete while adding things that should be added. This review should be done annually with the organizations legal counsel as laws and corporate goals may have