Construction Law

4 Questions That Help You Decide If Your Employee Handbook Is Outdated featured image

4 Questions That Help You Decide If Your Employee Handbook Is Outdated

Whether you have a huge construction firm or a small roofing business, employers should fear the prospect of having an outdated employee handbook. There’s a lot of ways that a business owner can have a defunct employee manual. Some business owners never spent the time to develop an in-depth manual. Others overlooked updating their handbook as they focused on business operations. Regardless, the end result is that many of the conditions within the agreement are not applicable.

In this brief article, a Chattanooga contractor attorney will discuss how employers can evaluate their own employee manual by asking themselves four questions. From here, they can decide if they are due for an employee handbook review by a legal professional.    

Determining If You Need Your Employee Handbook Reviewed

If you created your employee handbook years ago or haven’t had your employee handbook reviewed in quite some time, you should consider the following four things:

  • Have the laws in your handbook changed since it was produced? The laws within your employee handbook must be relevant to today. This is one of the most common mistakes businesses make. If your employee handbook has outdated laws, it needs to be updated immediately to align with current legislature.
  • Do the rules and restrictions apply to the state you are located in? Employers need to make sure that the laws within their handbook align with the laws in the state their place of business is located and operated in. For contractors, this could include a rapidly expanding business or when work is being performed in a neighboring state. Employers should consult our Chattanooga contractor attorneys to ensure that they are compliant with the state laws where they do business.
  • Is your handbook relevant to today? As a business evolves, the handbook should evolve as well to ensure accuracy. This includes developing new policies and tweaking existing policies to remain relevant to both your business operations and also federal and state laws. For example, your manual may include an excellent policy on trade secrets from over ten years ago, but chances are that the language in the provision does not focus on the use of smartphones in the workplace. Handbooks should always be relevant to the present day to ensure your best interests are protected.
  • Is your handbook lacking policies? It’s quite common that a handbook was created without certain policies in mind or some important policies were overlooked. When an experienced attorney reviews your handbook, they will provide recommended policy updates. When it comes to developing policies using clear and concise language that is easy to interpret, an experienced attorney can assist you.

If you would like to speak with a Chattanooga contractor attorney, please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.