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2.1 Developing a Staff Handbook
Staff handbooks protect clinics against violations of employment laws
and potential employment practices liability claims by serving as
documentation that the employer is communicating and is abiding by
rules of employment law. A staff handbook should reflect employment
practices, which should be followed consistently. It is a good idea
to have the handbook reviewed by an employment-practices attorney.
Click on the links
to see types of information that can be included in a staff handbook,
or download the
sample document.
Information to Include in a Staff Handbook
1.
Introduction
- Welcome to new staff, and the
clinic’s mission statement
- Statement of at-will employment
status
- Acknowledgment of receipt (signed proof that the staff
member received and read the handbook)
- Equal opportunity employer
statement
- Statement of no tolerance regarding unlawful harassment
2.
Employment Practices
- Definition of full-time, part-time, and temporary staff
- Work schedules; definition of workweek
- Requirements
- Pay for mandatory meetings, training, and overtime
- Bonuses (if any)
- Payday (when, how often)
- Frequency of staff evaluations; evaluation
criteria
- Standards of conduct
- Disciplinary procedures
- Procedures for termination of employment
3.
Office Operations
- Health and safety issues
- Emergency protocols for staff and patients
- Housekeeping (including
parking, security, and smoking policy)
4.
Benefits
- Holidays (when does the office close, which days off are paid,
if any)
- Vacation and sick leave policies
- Insurance and retirement benefits
- Leave-of-absence policies
- Family-leave policies
- Pregnancy-related disability leave and pregnancy-leave
policies
- Bereavement-leave, personal-leave, military-leave, and
jury-duty-leave policies
- Time off for voting
- Staff continuing-education policy
- Workers’ compensation
- Inclement weather policy
- Policy regarding a natural disaster that
affects work
It is important to develop the staff handbook in-house, because each
clinic offers a unique work environment, conditions of employment, and
benefits.
Templates are available to help clinics create their own staff handbook.
If you choose to use one of these, be sure it includes Ohio state
employment laws as well as federal requirements. Such templates can
be found at
bizmanuals and
at Microsoft’s
download center.
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