An organisation’s people are its biggest risk and its greatest asset. It is vital that employers make clear the parameters within which employees should work, and one important part of this involves putting down in writing what behaviour is and is not acceptable. . Having a handbook in place, which is tailored and up-to-date, is one way of helping to manage those risks

Such guidelines are not usually included in employment contracts. This is because it is generally difficult to change and update the terms of a contract, and an employer would not generally want to leave itself open to contractual claims on the basis of detailed guidelines. A staff handbook can play an important role here as one of its main functions is to set down rules within which staff should operate. Handbooks are intended to shape employees’ behaviour to help improve conduct in the workplace.

A handbook can also help show an employer’s practices are consistent with employment legislation and can be used to help justify disciplinary decisions. They can also be important for backing up employers wishing to take action against recalcitrant employees.

Employers may find it difficult to deal effectively with misconduct where there is no handbook in place.

So, what should a basic staff handbook contain? It needs to cover a number of standard topics including grievance and disciplinary procedures and, for example, contain an anti-harassment and bullying policy as well as setting out guidelines on the use of social media. Depending on the sector, an employer may wish to include other policies.

Handbooks must be kept up-to-date both to remain practically useful and to avoid becoming inconsistent with official guidance, legislation and case law. The Acas code of practice on discipline and grievance, for example, was updated early last year and in January it published a new guide, Disability discrimination: key points for the workplace.

In a recent European Court of Human Rights case a company was found not to have breached the privacy rights of an employee by monitoring his Yahoo Messenger account when it suspected him of using the account for private purposes. It appears to have been significant that the employer had a clear policy against private use of the company’s resources. The decision may well lead to other organisations updating their policies and handbooks.

An out-of-date handbook is a liability rather than an asset, not least because it may be used in legal proceedings as evidence that the employer’s practices are outmoded or unlawful.

Handbooks and policies are not the end of the story. Employment tribunals have been reluctant to accept, on face value, that breaches of written policies automatically provide sufficient justification for disciplinary action or dismissal. Employers need to ensure their contents are communicated to employees effectively.

Now is the time to develop a handbook or to review your existing one to make sure it is current. Please contact me on 02306407748 or at mnewman@ukemploymentlawadvice.co.uk for help in guidance in this or other areas of HR

Michael Newman

NewmanHR