What Are Employers Supposed to Do? You could request guidance and consult your attorney, which may be a wise investment if done properly, or you could consider a service such as Legal Zoom. But, remember, you will likely get what you pay for; read the reviews first. Other alternatives are mentioned later in this article. Also consider that, beyond the basics, it will be difficult for most attorneys to keep up with the complex and ever-changing area of employment law and regulations unless their practice includes an employment law specialist. If your business is a smaller sole proprietorship consisting of one or two employees, you may not feel that a handbook is necessary at all. Alternatively, you could establish a very limited handbook (or just a short handout), that covers company benefits and other fundamental employment information. On the other hand, if you have operations in several states or provinces, if your business has more than a few employees and es- pecially if you have more than one branch or division, you should seriously consider having an employee handbook for your company. Keep in mind that when you have operations in several states, you may have to include separate state-specific provisions to comply with that particular state’s employment laws and regulations. Union Shops Although unlikely to apply to most readers, if you operate un- der a collective bargaining agreement with one or more unions, many details will be specified in your labor agreement. In certain states and industries, union shops are more common in larger companies, although the decline in manufacturing has ushered in a waning membership trend over the past few decades. It’s a bit off topic, but you may be wondering if unions are good or bad for business. Having been a member of several unions in my early days and also having been a member of managements’ labor contract negotiating teams, I believe that unions can be ei- ther a positive or negative influence upon a business. It depends upon the union and its leaders. Resources for Developing a Handbook You may be wondering where to begin with developing your hand- book. No, don’t get an 8x10 glamour photo of you for the cover — once seen, some things can never be unseen! This reminds me of my first business trip to Africa in the early ’90s. While in Nairobi, Kenya (a very dangerous place back then), I noticed a photo of their president on what seemed like every business of- www.savta.org fice wall. “What a popular guy!” I thought, naively. That’s when I learned that displaying his photo was required by law! So, for- get the Realtor-type photo cover and consider using the readily available array of soſtware applications, manuals or other options containing templates. You can either accept general verbiage or customize standard provisions for your business and situation. Online, you will find a number of readily available actual hand- books from large institutions such as universities or hospitals. But, be aware that — especially in universities — some provi- sions were probably written, or at least inspired by, Karl Marx. You can also ask your payroll service (such as ADP or Paychex) if they offer a standard handbook or template that could save you time. You don’t have to start from scratch, but be careful to avoid copyright infringement. Some payroll processing services can do much more than take care of your payroll, reports and other tax-related stuff. Some offer small businesses access to large group health insurance, 401(k) retirement savings plans and even some human resources services. These can be very handy when you are too small to have your own HR department or person. Many of these services can be less expensive than engaging your own attorney. Do yourself a favor and at least explore this option, which may be far more affordable than expected — especially when you consider all the potential features and programs that would otherwise be out of reach for your small business. What’s it worth to avoid having your lack of knowledge expose your business to legal trouble? Just don’t expect a free lunch or backrubs! An oſten-overlooked source of guidance is your insurance pro- vider. They can be especially useful for weapon and drug policies. Just don’t forget that insurance providers promise to keep you in good hands, but try filing a claim. You might find those same “good hands” wrapped tightly around your throat. Please forgive the cynicism, but the basic insurance economic model is built on maximum collection of premiums and minimum payment of claims. Even if your company does not have dedicated HR staff (most smaller companies don’t), you can likely access employment-re- lated stuff via a local, regional or even national professional HR organization and maybe a subscription service. Some companies engage a local consultant to set things up and then provide limited “on-demand” or periodic guidance thereaſter. If this is overkill for your situation, some resources might be available from your local chamber of commerce or networking groups. Now, let’s look at the structure and content of a typical employee handbook. November/December 2021 | SAFE & VAULT TECHNOLOGY 9