Employee Handbook: Updates & Changes

The Handbook already contains the disclaimer that contents can be changed by the Company at any time. Still, it's a really good idea to notify employees when a modification, addition or deletion in content is made. If you don't, you may invalidate the Handbook as a tool.

Here are the steps to making Handbook changes, once the policy is in place:
1. post an announcement on real bulletin boards
2. send a receipt email to every employee documenting the change
3. get the new content to every Handbook holder in either hard copy, e-format or online doc.
4. keep update receipts on file

If you use a web based source document for your Handbook, it is of course, much easier to make changes and eliminates getting new pages to employees.

Handbook changes are unavoidable, especially in the growing, dynamic company and with yearly changes in labor law. So when a large number of changes accumulate, issue a new version of the Handbook to every employee. A pain, but necessary, and worth the trouble and expense if you are ever in court. A clean, updated Handbook is better than one with a many updates and changes.

All pages should be dated.

And yes, a new Receipt and Acknowledgement with every update or new Handbook version.

Lance