Drafting Employee Handbooks
Employee handbooks define the relationship of employer and employee for most employees. These handbooks establish leave policies, polices for working from home, sick leave, and grounds for dismissal. They also help ensure the protection of employer trade secrets. In a highly interconnected age, they establish policies for the use of smartphones, tablets, and other devices on and for the job. If a handbook is carefully planned and drafted, it provides for a stable workplace, reducing the risk of employer liability.The absence of a handbook can lead to just the opposite – a workplace with ad hoc policies and abounding risk. This program will provide you with a practical guide to drafting employee handbooks.
· Essential elements of employee handbooks
· Work from home policies and protections
· Ensuring handbooks are not enforceable contracts and are subject to change by employers
· Compliance with EEO laws, including the ADA, FMLA and others
· Prohibition of discrimination, harassment, and other unlawful conduct
· Defining workplace policies for personal smartphones, tablets, and other devices
· Time off, leave of absence, and discipline and dismissal procedures
Speaker:
Stefanee Handon is an attorney in the Washington, D.C. office of Paul Hastings, LLP, where she represents employers in all aspects of employment law, including wage and hour compliance, fair employment practices, and individual employment rights. She also counsels employers on all aspects of the employer-employee relationship, including hiring, pay, promotion, and termination.
Disclaimer: All views or opinions expressed by any presenter during the course of this CLE is that of the presenter alone and not an opinion of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the employers, or affiliates of the presenters unless specifically stated. Additionally, any materials, including the legal research, are the product of the individual contributor, not the Oklahoma Bar Association. The Oklahoma Bar Association makes no warranty, express or implied, relating to the accuracy or content of these materials.