Does Your Company have an Employee Handbook?

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Not every company does. But there are some benefits regarding company-wide rules and employee expectations.

“An employee handbook is an important legal document that – if drafted properly – can protect an employer from a number of employee problems. However, a poorly drafted handbook can wind up creating more problems than it solves. Adopting a handbook while avoiding the "pitfalls" will help keep employees happy and lawsuits to a minimum.” – Source: Avoiding Common Employee Handbook Mistakes, Joseph Gagnon and Stephen Roppolo

Some benefits of employee handbooks:

Handbooks keep everyone on the same page: A handbook typically lays out all the “must dos” at a company. Basically, handbooks outline what’s expected of employees (what normal working hours are), pay, benefits, substance and harassment policies, attendance, and discipline.

Handbooks are helpful to new employees: Having an employee handbook is a great way to get everyone on the same page.

Handbooks can help employees understand a company’s culture: Employees can get a feel for what a business “is all about” after reading its employee handbook.

Handbooks help prove that a company’s rules and regulations are current with employment laws.

Handbooks can help define the employee/employer relationship.

Sources: The Employee Handbook: the Good, the Bad, and the Absolutely Critical; Why You Should Create an Employee Handbook.

However, handbooks (and having rules that dictate everything that goes on at the office) can be overwhelming, too:

Everything is connected to a rule: If you want to discard rules, or change up the employee policy, you’ll have to change every handbook. And because a company is a constantly evolving entity, that means policies may be changing as the company evolves, too. Over time, making constant amendments is time consuming, costly and confusing.

Some situations merit individual responses: “Imagine if a senior business development executive created a set of policies outlining how they will execute a business deal that followed the process every time.  You can’t imagine it because it would never happen!  For years HR types have been complaining about having a seat at the table and being taken seriously by their executive teams, and I think this is one of the reasons why. They don’t think about what’s in the best interests of the business.” – Source: The One Sentence HR Handbook, Fistful of Talent, Andy Porter

Other issues can arise with handbooks when policies are overly vague, too detailed, outdated, and inconsistent.

Source: The Employee Handbook: The Good, the Bad, and the Absolutely Critical

HR Wednesday: The “Walk Around” Management Style

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What’s your management style? Are you a hands-on boss, or do you like to stay in your office and let your employees come to you? There are benefits and negatives to every type of management style. But there are some management styles that are not as prevalent as they once were. Sure, some styles are outdated, but some management tactics aren’t so bad. We’re going to focus on one of those almost-forgotten, but still swell styles today.

“Management by walking around”

This style has almost gone defunct because of today’s busy office environment, telecommuting and flextime. But there are ways managers can still “walk around” the office, even if many of their workers aren’t located in the same physical building.

The article, “The Lost Are of Walking Around,” by Sharlyn Lauby suggests the following interesting, and easy-to-follow examples:

“Take the walk: Stepping away from your desk can be a good thing. It’s exercise. Use some of those moments when you need to take a break to visit employees.

Wander around virtually: Really can’t get away? Is your team thousands of miles away? Check in using email or the social collaboration tools your company provides.

There’s a reason Management by Walking Around became so popular. It works: Managers building relationships with their employees is essential for business. Now, I will admit, technology innovation may have changed the “walking around” concept. But the idea is still the same.

Companies shouldn’t put managers in the position where they have to choose between reports and employees: Managers should be able to do both. And managers shouldn’t use reports as an excuse not to spend time with their employees. It’s time to rediscover the lost art of walking around.” – Source: HR Bartender, Lauby

How Will You Celebrate National Small Business Week?

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Do you know it’s National Small Business Week? Well, yeah, of course you do! We know that many of our readers own or work for a small, delivery business. For those of you who didn’t know it's National Small Business Week (maybe you just started your business, or you are part of a large company), here’s a bit of information about the Week’s history:

“Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year. As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration takes the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from all 50 states and U.S. territories.  Every day, they’re working to grow small businesses, create 21st century jobs, drive innovation, and increase America’s global competitiveness.” – U.S. Small Business Administration

National Small Business Week is celebrated every year. This year’s event (June 17-21) was announced back in March and is the event’s fiftieth. Pretty impressive! This year’s week’s events will focus on topics that will help small businesses start, grow and succeed. Here’s the Week’s schedule by city:

Seattle - June 17

Dallas - June 18

St. Louis - June 19

Pittsburgh - June 20

Washington, D.C. - June 21

There will also be numerous online forums for people who can’t attend. You can watch some of the week’s events via a live stream at the SBA’s website. Click here for more information.

So, how are you going to celebrate this year's Small Business Week, and how are you plotting to make your business stronger? Here are some suggestions we’ve gleaned from a few articles:

• Add mobile options to improve your business. Manage your business using mobile management Apps, and mobile banking tools. Also: consider adding mobile payment options to increase customer convenience.
• Use free marketing tools, such as a business blog, or social media accounts to promote your business and spend little to no money.
• Use simple search engine optimization techniques (SEO) to make your website index better on search engines.
• Make sure you have all your business’ important documents (employee information locked away in a safe and secure place, tax information properly cared for) in order so you know where everything is at all times, and you can easily stay organized.
• You’re the boss, so what you say goes. But remember, making the office an extremely rigid environment can really make employees miserable. Once you hire on some help, you’ve got to work with people and listen to (reasonable) employee feedback.

Do you have any small business tips and tricks you’re willing to share? Any special plans for making the rest of 2013 profitable? Share with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or in the comment section.