September 17, 2010 Employee Handbooks

An employee handbook is the most important communication tool between an employer and its workforce. It’s a statement of the policies of the business and how the business is to be conducted. A well-written handbook sets forth the expectations for employees and describes what they can expect from the employer. An employee handbook should describe the company’s legal obligations as an employer, and the employees’ rights. It’s important that the handbook is clear and as unambiguous as possible. Misunderstandings or misstatements can create legal liabilities for the employer. In legal disputes, courts have considered an employee handbook to be a contractual obligation, so it’s important to word it carefully. Today, we’ll be talking about employee handbooks with John Bagyi. Mr. Bagyi is an attorney in the Albany, New York office of Bond, Schoeneck and King. He counsels and represents employers of all types and sizes in a variety of labor and employment related context, including workplace investigations, policy development and review, wage and hour and EEO compliance, union issues, proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, the Division of Human Rights and the EEOC, and employment litigation in federal and state courts. He also provides a broad range of employment law and human resource training to executives, managers, supervisors and employees. Mr. Bagyi has written extensively on labor and employment law and is a frequent speaker at national, state and local conferences, including the 2008 National SHRM Conference. Since 2005, he has served as General Counsel to the New York State Society for Human Resource Management.