KNOW THE FLOW

Without clear-cut guidelines even well-intended actions can result in harmful consequences.

For example, enterprising employees might be tempted to respond directly to employee requests for recommendations and/or reference letters, which could create inconsistency.  A well-written reference checks policy will typically instruct employees to refrain from responding directly and refer such requests to the human resources department or to another designated person for any response.

Employees might also be tempted to respond to media inquiries on the employer’s behalf.  A media contact policy would likely specify that only a designated company representative may respond to inquiring media on the company’s behalf.

If the company has real or virtual bulletin boards, the handbook could include a provision specifying that the employer has reserved these boards for the posting of legal notices and other official company business and that any posting must be approved in advance by human resources or senior management.

Take-Away:

Implement and regularly review a comprehensive, clearly written handbook to include such policies.

We publish this series to educate employers on best practices for a well-written handbook that assists applicants, employees, and management alike. To purchase our template handbook – which contains the above policies and much more – and accompanying forms or for more information, please contact Office Manager Aimee Rosales at 626.583.6600 or email her at officemgr@tbowleslaw.com.

See also:

• Handbook Helper Episode 15- Socially Acceptable Social Media Policy (November 25, 2022)
• Handbook Helper Episode 12: Prying Eyes – Employee Privacy Policy (September 30, 2022)
• Handbook Helper Episode 5: Golden Rules – Workplace Conduct Policy (July 8, 2022)

Cindy Bamforth
December 23, 2022