Hello, I need to update our employee handbook and create internal policies and procedures. In actuality I believe the handbook will be rewritten.

We are a small business. We are a Florida LLC with the majority of our employees located in California along with 1-2 home office employees (Colorado and Illinois.) Currently we are under 50 employees and most likely will continue at that level for another 1-2 years. However, would hope to put into place a handbook and PnP’s that would allow us to grow and address those easily. (Wishful thinking?)

I am not an HR specialist. The majority of the HR handling is performed out of our 3 to 4 person Florida office. HR is not the primary function of the person who handles it. Decisions are often based on what he believes makes sense versus actual laws. I am the person is the CA office who tries to keep us in line (“no you can’t do that and I don’t care if its easier or allowed in FL”) and handles paperwork and files. I use HR.BLR.com and the CA.org websites to research, especially when I believe things are being handled incorrectly.

I’m looking for advice. There are all sorts of “pre-made” handbooks that vary in price from a software program for $40 to “attorney written” books requiring minimal editing for $400 and higher. Additionally there are services that handle this.

I do understand that time will need to be dedicated with any of these options and customizations for our organization. I just wondered if there is true value in using something like the above, other then some of the time saving of creating it from scratch. (Which isn’t really ever from scratch – there are always samples that can be used to start.) And if anybody has used some of these services or pre-made items and either have feedback and/or recommendations.

I don’t know the changes that would need to be made to address the FL, CA, CO, IL aspects.

The intent would be to have these documents created and then spend the money for a final legal review. I know that we really need an HR person – however until I can push that through…….

I also did see the note that soon on HR.BLR.com there will be a handbook and PnP section or similar. Which would be great if it would address a bunch of this but I think it probably will be basic templates and a bit too universal ?

Your comments are welcome.

My experience is that writing a handbook and having it reviewed is more expensive than buying a handbook from an employment law attorney.

That being said, be prepared to have the attorney modify to your specifications and don't be afraid to have sub-parts that don't go to all employees.  For example, you do not need a 50 staet handbook for 50 employees: you need a 50 state handbook base with a California addendum.  That will keep printing costs down and also minimize the exposure of Califnornia protectionist ideals to non-CA employees.  ("why do they get paid family leave and we don't?")

You can also find consultants who, through working with various clients and attorneys over time, have a very robust handbook but you usually have to put up with more sales _(*^ and a higher price, but you can also often get a better product from the standpoint of completeness.  Just make sure that whoever provides it has plenty of liability insurance to back it up.

I agree with TXHR about getting legal advice on a pre-made book and sub-sectioning the Handbook.  I am going to address another issue you brought up,  specifically your need for an HR person.  I assume that with under 50 employees in multiple states that you are not processing your payroll in house.  If you are using a company like ADP to process your paychecks, they also have HR services available.  There are a lot of companies out there that can offer HR advice on a issue to issue basis.  A PEO's can alos be a good solution for small companies that can not afford a dedicated HR person.  While it may cost a bit more at the outset, it could potential save you from a lawsuit based on an action that seemed to "make sense versus actual laws." 

mzihc:

Hello, I need to update our employee handbook and create internal policies and procedures. In actuality I believe the handbook will be rewritten.

We are a small business. We are a Florida LLC with the majority of our employees located in California along with 1-2 home office employees (Colorado and Illinois.) Currently we are under 50 employees and most likely will continue at that level for another 1-2 years. However, would hope to put into place a handbook and PnP’s that would allow us to grow and address those easily. (Wishful thinking?)

I am not an HR specialist. The majority of the HR handling is performed out of our 3 to 4 person Florida office. HR is not the primary function of the person who handles it. Decisions are often based on what he believes makes sense versus actual laws. I am the person is the CA office who tries to keep us in line (“no you can’t do that and I don’t care if its easier or allowed in FL”) and handles paperwork and files. I use HR.BLR.com and the CA.org websites to research, especially when I believe things are being handled incorrectly.

I’m looking for advice. There are all sorts of “pre-made” handbooks that vary in price from a software program for $40 to “attorney written” books requiring minimal editing for $400 and higher. Additionally there are services that handle this.

I do understand that time will need to be dedicated with any of these options and customizations for our organization. I just wondered if there is true value in using something like the above, other then some of the time saving of creating it from scratch. (Which isn’t really ever from scratch – there are always samples that can be used to start.) And if anybody has used some of these services or pre-made items and either have feedback and/or recommendations.

I don’t know the changes that would need to be made to address the FL, CA, CO, IL aspects.

The intent would be to have these documents created and then spend the money for a final legal review. I know that we really need an HR person – however until I can push that through…….

I also did see the note that soon on HR.BLR.com there will be a handbook and PnP section or similar. Which would be great if it would address a bunch of this but I think it probably will be basic templates and a bit too universal ?

Your comments are welcome.

How I coped:

We have 14 full-time staff at our company and a couple years ago, I was given the responsibility of handling HR issues.  As a small company we could not afford to have someone write the handbook for us.  At that time, I was not a member of HR.BLR (which has been a great asset for our company) and an employee handbook needed to be implemented. 

One of the sources I used was "Create Your Own Employee Handbook, A Legal and Practice Guide".  This was written by Attornies Lisa Guerin and Amy Delpro and I used the 2003 edition.  In addition, the Manager of a temp-agency reviewed our draft and I made the necessary changes.

This guide was (and still is) a good place to start.  It was easy to understand and to structure for our needs; it contains everything you need.  This edition maybe outdated but I am sure with the new copy and your use of the BLR. website, you could find this easier than you think.

 Good luck.  Lisa

More and more small businesses (and some large) are outsourcing review/revision/creation of an employee handbook (and other time-consuming projects) to HR consultants.  Some can be found on the web or through networking.  If you choose this option, be sure and pick one who has actually worked in multiple organizations and has hands-on experience in this task.  Compare prices...some are very reasonable. After taking early retirement, I have used my experience in creating handbooks as a consultant, with many satisfied clients.

Thank you all for your help and comments. I'm going to look into a few of the suggestions and see what will make sense for us.