The Importance of Keeping Your Employee Handbook Up to Date 

Employee handbooks are essential resources that can establish clear expectations for your employees amid your organization’s busy and multifaceted operations. These handbooks can be available as hard copies and electronic versions, and may allow employees to have constant access to critical information while formally documenting various aspects of your company. But simply composing one of these resources is not enough. You also need to make sure it remains updated.

Why is Updating Employee Handbooks Important?

New hires, existing employees, managers, senior leaders and human resources professionals may all refer to your company’s employee handbook during times of uncertainty. These scenarios often require information to be available on short notice. Outdated or inaccurate contents could create or exacerbate problems. Conversely, keeping your handbook up to date can offer many benefits, including the following:

• Up-to-date compliance information—Employment laws and industry regulations may often change. You’ll need to update your workplace policies to comply with these mandates and make sure that your employee handbook outlines the most up-to-date requirements and subsequently compliant policies.

• Mission statement consistency—Your organization may grow and pivot throughout its journey, potentially requiring your handbook to be edited to remain current with changing values and updated goals.

• Clear operational guidelines—Industry advancements, workplace preferences and technological advancements may all contribute to a dynamic work environment that requires you to update your handbook and clearly communicate various practices. For example, in recent years, it has become important for many companies to establish and inform about remote work rules.

• Transparent expectations—As companies and roles grow, employee expectations and responsibilities may change. It’s essential for your employee handbook to remain current, as failing to do so could hinder productivity and potentially lead to lawsuits, such as those arising from accusations of wrongful termination.

• Robust risk management—Outlining organizational practices, processes and rules clearly can help keep the workplace safe and address changing risks and exposures. For instance, as data breaches have become more prevalent, companies have had to implement additional cybersecurity measures, which should be outlined in handbooks.

We’re Here to Help

Contact Lyceum Insurance Services today to learn more about employee handbooks and how keeping them up to date can help your organization.

This blog is intended for informational and educational use only. It is not exhaustive and should not be construed as legal advice. Please contact your insurance professional for further information.