Practice Areas Employment Law Employee Handbooks

A Maryland Employment Attorney Can Help You Create the Best Handbook for Your Business

Many business owners undervalue the importance of the employee handbook. The reality is that your company’s employee handbook is one of your most important foundational documents. Unfortunately, many businesses either don’t have a handbook, or it is long out of date. Whether you are a small, family-owned business or a large, established corporation, a Maryland employment attorney can help you develop an employee handbook that delivers incredible value in multiple ways.

Employee Handbooks Help Educate Employees

When you hire a new employee, they are typically buried under an avalanche of information concerning their new job and how they fit in at your company. Unfortunately, your new employees cannot retain more than a fraction of this information and may be unaware of important company policies and procedures. 

If you make sure that it is complete and up to date, your employee handbook is an essential reference for your employees. They should be encouraged to refer to it regularly and be tasked with reading the entire handbook as part of the on-boarding process.  

A Strong Employee Handbook Should Communicate Expectations

Employee handbooks also help crystalize the expectations you have for your employees. Your handbook allows you to articulate your expectations clearly and consistently concerning things such as the following: 

• Employee dress, appearance, and hygiene
• Acceptable conduct among co-workers and towards customers and clients
• Expectations concerning timeliness
• Expectations concerning work product

A Maryland employment attorney can help you draft an employee handbook that is both clear and thorough, helping you build a better business. 

Employee Handbooks Help Ensure All Employees Are Treated Equally

Your employee handbook should also contain your anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies. Your handbook should lay out the following: 

• What is considered discrimination or harassment
• What steps an employee should take if they feel they are being harassed or discriminated against
• What steps will be taken by the company upon receipt of a complaint concerning discrimination or harassment

Your employee handbook should send a clear message that discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated. It should also give your employees the tools they need to get help if they feel they are being harassed or discriminated against. A Maryland employment attorney can review your discrimination and harassment policies to ensure that they comply with state and federal law. 

A Properly Written Handbook Will Help Defend Against Lawsuits

Almost every business will face a complaint or other legal claim from a current or former employee. A comprehensive employee handbook can serve as evidence of the steps you take to address complaints and what you consider to be acceptable behavior. Your handbook can be especially helpful in defending against discrimination claims if you can demonstrate that the case at issue was handled the same as every other case and in accordance with the policy laid out in the employee handbook. 

How a Maryland Employment Attorney Can Help with Handbook Creations

It can be quite challenging to develop an up-to-date employee handbook that is both comprehensive and consistent. A Maryland employment attorney can help in the following ways: 

• Review and update your existing employee handbook
• Draft an entirely new employee handbook
• Develop and/or conduct training sessions to ensure that the policies in the handbook are fully implemented

Contact the Law Firm of J.W. Stafford Today for Guidance with Your Employee Handbooks 

We help businesses across the state of Maryland develop clear and comprehensive employee handbooks that are fully-customized for their organizations. If you’d like to learn more about how a Maryland employment attorney can help, contact us at 410-514-6099 to schedule an appointment to discuss your needs.