Staff handbook

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A staff handbook provides details of employee benefits and contract terms. It is particularly important in law not to link the staff handbook with the contract. This can happen by referring in the contract to `see staff handbook’ as this may make the whole of the content of the handbook technically contractual. This means that potentially if an employer does not follow the guidance in the staff handbook to the letter, there could be a breach of contract claim. 

Although there is no set content for a staff handbook, you may wish to consider including the following:

Introduction

• Welcome
• Organisation information and history

1) Joining

• Induction
• Probation

2) Communications and staff relations

• Staff Meetings
• Staff Code of conduct
• Drugs and Alcohol
• Giving and receiving of gifts
• Personal issues
• Conflict of interest and other employment
• Confidentiality

3) Pay and benefits

• Pay procedures
• Payroll Deductions
• Pension access
• Payment of expenses
• Salary policy and Review
• Private medical health insurance
• Staff insurance policies

4) Timekeeping

• Hours of work
• Overtime and additional hours
• Time off in lieu 

5) Holiday entitlement

• Policy & Entitlement
• Notice
• Fixed Holidays
• Public Holidays
• Holiday entitlement on ending of the Contract
• Holiday entitlement on long term sick

6) Family Leave

• Rights in Maternity to leave, pay and to return
• Paternity Leave and Pay
• Adoption leave and Pay
• Parental leave
• Domestic emergency leave
• Requests for flexible working

7) Sickness and absence policy and procedures

• Probation
• Processing of information
• Summary of responsibilities
• Procedures for reporting absence for employee
• Sickness certificates
• Entitlements
• Sickness and annual leave
• Failure to follow absence recording procedures
• Returning to work
• Visits

8) Other leave

• Compassionate leave
• Leave for Education and Development
• Medical appointments
• Unpaid Leave
• Extended leave
• Public and civil duties

9) Data protection 

• Transparency & Fairness
• Rights of data subjects
• Security of records

(for more see Data protection)

10) Use of communications 

• Email and internet protocols
• Personal use of communication facilities
• Monitoring

11) Use of project equipment

12) Security policy

13) Public interest disclosure

14) Copyright

15) Crisis management

16) Media

17) Smoking

18) Equal opportunities policy

19) Bullying and harassment 

20) Grievance procedure

21) Disciplinary policy and procedures

22) Customer satisfaction, complaints policy and procedure

23) Child protection policy and procedure

24) Adult protection policy and procedure

25) Leaving project

• Exit interviews
• Notice periods
• Garden leave
• Retirement
• Redundancy
• Redeployment
• Giving references

Useful links

• Business link - employing people

Have your say

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