CCYY Replace with Current Century (CC) and Year (YY) (I.E.: 2012)

INSTRUCTIONS

This Sample Employee Handbook Microsoft Word Document was created based off of the same one we use for our office in hopes it will assist you in creating or formalizing yours. It contains the legal verbiage and necessary inclusions to help you.

When you first open this document, select FIND and REPLACE from the EDITING tab under the Microsoft Word ribbon at the top of your screen. You will want to replace the following words in italics with your own replacement. Be sure to select REPLACE ALL when doing so:

CCYY – Replace with current Century (CC) and Year (YY) (i.e.: 2012)

Your_Company_Name – Replace with the name of your company (business)

Your_State – Replace with the name of the State you do business in

Section_Number – Replace with your State’s Labor Code’s Section Number for this specific law

Prop_Number – Replace with your State’s Proposition Number for this specific law

First_Pay_Date – Replace with the fist pay day of the month

Second_Pay_Date – Replace with the second pay day of the month

We hope you find this document useful as you work on growing your company.

Mahalo!

YOUR_COMPANY_NAME EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK
© CCYY

Your_Company_Name

EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION TO HANDBOOK 2

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT 2

Equal Employment Opportunity Is Our Policy 2

Employment “At Will” 2

Policy Against Sexual Harassment 2

Drug-Free workplace 2

work Schedule 2

Meal and Rest Periods 2

Attendance and Tardiness 2

Use of E-Mail, Voicemail, and Internet Access 2

Personal Business 2

Standards Of Dress 2

Smoking 2

THE WORKPLACE 2

Health and Safety Policy 2

Security Protocols 2

Occupational Safety 2

Accident/Incident Reporting 2

Reporting Fires and Emergencies 2

EMPLOYEE WAGES AND HEALTH BENEFITS 2

Salary 2

Payroll Withholdings 2

Overtime Pay 2

Paydays 2

Wage Attachments and Garnishments 2

Medical Plans 2

COBRA Benefits 2

PERSONNEL EVALUATION AND RECORD KEEPING 2

Employee Reviews and Evaluations 2

Personnel Files and Record Keeping Protocols 2

HOLIDAYS, VACATIONS AND LEAVES 2

Holidays 2

Vacation 2

Unpaid Leave of Absence 2

Family Care and Medical Leave 2

Pregnancy Disability Leave 2

Industrial Injury Leave (workers’ Compensation) 2

Bereavement Leave 2

Jury Duty or Witness Leave 2

Voting Time Off 2

Returning From Leave of Absence 2

Rules of Conduct 2

Off-Duty Conduct 2

Termination of Employment 2

INTERNAL COMPLAINT REVIEW 2

AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK 2

APPENDIX A - SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMPLAINT FORM 2

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT OF PERSONNEL HANDBOOK 2

INTRODUCTION TO HANDBOOK

This Handbook is designed to help employees get acquainted with Your_Company_Name. It explains some of our philosophies and beliefs, and describes in general terms, some of our employment guidelines. Although this Handbook is not intended to be an official policies and procedures manual, we hope that it will serve as a useful reference document for employees throughout their employment at Your_Company_Name. Employees should understand, however, that this Handbook is not intended to be a contract (express or implied), nor is it intended to otherwise create any legally enforceable obligations on the part of Your_Company_Name or its employees. In no way does the Handbook replace the official plan documents (i.e., health insurance, retirement plan, etc.) or insurance contracts, which will govern in all cases. This Handbook supersedes and replaces all previous personnel policies, practices, and guidelines.

Because Your_Company_Name is a growing and changing organization, it reserves full discretion to add to, modify, or delete provisions of this Handbook, or the policies and procedures on which they may be based, at any time without advance notice. Your_Company_Name also reserves the right to interpret any of the provisions set forth in this Handbook in any manner it deems appropriate.

Only the Office Manager, in accordance with Your_Company_Name, has the authority to enter into any employment or other agreement that modifies Your_Company_Name’s policy. Any such modification must be in writing.

This Handbook is the property of Your_Company_Name, and is intended for personal use and reference by the employees of Your_Company_Name. Circulation of this Handbook outside of Your_Company_Name requires the prior written approval of the Office Manager.

Employees should sign the acknowledgment form at the back of this Handbook, tear it out, and return it to the Office Manager. This will provide Your_Company_Name with a record that each employee has received this Handbook.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Equal Employment Opportunity Is Our Policy

Your_Company_Name is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of Your_Company_Name to afford equal employment and advancement opportunity to all qualified individuals without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, citizenship status, medical condition, or any other legally protected status. This policy extends to all employees and to all aspects of the employment relationship, including the hiring of new employees and the training, transfer, promotion, compensation and benefits of existing employees.

To comply with applicable laws ensuring equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with a disability, Your_Company_Name will make reasonable accommodations for the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or an employee unless undue hardship would result.

Any applicant or employee who requires an accommodation in order to perform the essential functions of the job should contact the Office Manager and request such an accommodation. The individual with the disability should specify what accommodation he or she needs to perform the job. Your_Company_Name will then conduct an investigation to identify the barriers that interfere with the equal opportunity of the applicant or employee to perform his or her job. Your_Company_Name will identify possible accommodations, if any, that will help eliminate the limitation. If the accommodation is reasonable and will not impose an undue hardship, Your_Company_Name will make the accommodation.

Employment “At Will”

It is the policy of Your_Company_Name that all employees are employed at the will of Your_Company_Name for an indefinite period. Accordingly, either Your_Company_Name or the employee can terminate this relationship at any time, for any reason, without cause, and with or without notice. Any employment contract for a specified term supersedes the at-will relationship.

Nothing contained in this Handbook, employment applications, Your_Company_Name memoranda or other materials provided to employees in connection with their employment shall require Your_Company_Name to have “cause” to terminate an employee or otherwise restrict Your_Company_Name’s right to terminate an employee at any time for any reason.

Statements of specific grounds for termination set forth in this Handbook or elsewhere are not all-inclusive and are not intended to restrict Your_Company_Name’s right to terminate at will. Other than the Office Manager, or designee, no other Your_Company_Name representative is authorized to modify this policy for any employee.

No other Your_Company_Name representative is authorized to modify this policy for any employee or to make any representations to employees or applicants concerning the terms or conditions of employment with Your_Company_Name that are not consistent with Your_Company_Name’s policy on “at will” employment.

This policy shall not be modified by any statements contained in this Handbook, employee applications, Your_Company_Name memoranda, or other materials provided to employees in connection with their employment. Further, none of those documents whether singly or combined, or any employment practices shall create neither an express nor implied contract of employment for a definite period, nor an express nor implied contract concerning any terms or conditions of employment.

Policy Against Sexual Harassment

Your_Company_Name is committed to maintaining a working environment that is free of harassment. Your_Company_Name has adopted a comprehensive sexual harassment policy, which is the controlling document. All employees are required to read and sign that policy. Your_Company_Name prohibits the unlawful sexual harassment of any kind. All employees should be able to work in an atmosphere free of sexual harassment. Your_Company_Name will not condone nor tolerate sexual harassment of any type by any employee. This policy applies to all employee actions and relationships, regardless of position or gender. Your_Company_Name will promptly and thoroughly investigate any complaint of sexual harassment and take appropriate corrective action, if warranted.

Sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexually suggestive nature constitute sexual harassment when:

1. Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of employment.

2. Submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as the basis for personnel decisions, including but not limited to appraisals, promotion, salary increases, and termination.

3. Such behavior has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual's performance on the job or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment.

Each Supervisor has the responsibility to maintain a work place free from any form of sexual harassment. Consequently, should Supervisors become aware of any conduct, which may constitute sexual harassment or other prohibited behavior, immediate action should be taken to address such conduct.

Employees are expected to act in a positive and professional manner and to contribute to a productive work environment that is free from harassing or disruptive activity.

Prohibited conduct by anyone includes but is not limited to:

• Sexual flirtations, touching, advances or propositions;

• Verbal abuse of a sexual nature;

• Graphic or suggestive comments about dress or body;

• Sexually degrading words;

• The display in the workplace of sexually suggestive or offensive objects or pictures.

While in most situations a personal relationship is a private matter, these relationships are not appropriate in a professional setting, particularly where one of the parties has management or Supervisory responsibilities.

Any employee who has experienced or is aware of a situation, which is believed to be sexually harassing, has a responsibility to report the situation immediately to their immediate Supervisor, the Office Manager and/or any member of management, whom, in turn, will conduct an immediate investigation into the allegation(s) and determine whether the allegations have merit. A written report, including findings related to the allegations, will be completed. In all cases, when the allegation(s) is determined to be valid, appropriate remedial action will be taken immediately and may include disciplinary action up to and including termination.

If the alleged sexual harassment involves the Supervisor, Office Manager, or any member of management, or if the employee is not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation, the employee should seek outside counsel.

All complaints of sexual harassment will be investigated promptly, objectively and as confidentially as possible. Employees are required to cooperate in any investigation. Retaliation against any employee for filing a complaint or participating in an investigation is strictly prohibited and shall be cause for termination.

All matters regarding this policy will be treated with confidentiality and on a need-to-know basis.

Drug-Free workplace

Your_Company_Name is committed to providing a drug- and alcohol-free workplace and to promoting safety in the workplace, employee health and well-being, community confidence, and a work environment that is conducive to attaining high work standards. The use of drugs and alcohol by employees, whether on or off the job, jeopardizes these goals, since it adversely affects health and safety, security, productivity, and public confidence and trust.

Accordingly, consistent with this commitment, Your_Company_Name has developed a drug and alcohol policy, which applies to all employees. For more information regarding this policy, please contact the Office Manager.

The bringing to the work place, possession or use of intoxicating beverages or drugs on any Your_Company_Name premises is prohibited and will result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Work Schedule

Work schedules are dictated by the Annual Calendar and Daily Schedule, as specified in the Your_Company_Name Employee Contract.

Meal and Rest Periods

Non-exempt employees are provided with a 30 minute meal period, to be taken approximately in the middle of the workday. Such employees are allowed a ten (10) minute rest period for every four hours of work. Your Supervisor should be aware of and approve your scheduled meal and rest periods.

You are expected to observe your assigned working hours and the time allowed for meal and rest periods. Do not leave the premises during your rest period and do not take more than ten (10) minutes for each rest period. You may leave the premises during the meal period.

employee Handbook – Your_Company_Name © CCYY Page XXX

Attendance and Tardiness

If you find it necessary to be absent or late, you are expected to telephone your Supervisor as soon as possible but no later than one-half hour after the start of the workday. If you are absent from work longer than one day, you are expected to keep your Supervisor sufficiently informed of your situation.

As noted in the section of this Handbook concerning prohibited conduct, excessive or unexcused absences or tardiness may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. Absence for more than (3) consecutive days without notifying your Supervisor will be considered a voluntary resignation from employment.

A call-in to your Supervisor, the Office Manager, or to a member of management, does not make that absence or tardiness excusable. Additionally, any unexcused absence or tardiness may only be made up using accumulated Vacation or Personal Time Off hours solely on the discretion of the Office Manager. Your_Company_Name reserves the right to deduct a half-hour of wages for tardiness causing any loss of work time of thirty (30) minutes or less according to the State of Your_State Department of Industrial Relations Division of Labor Standards Enforcement Your_State Labor Code Section Section_Number.

Use of E-Mail, Voicemail, and Internet Access

To discourage access to adult content on on-line electronic services and preclude other misuses of the system, Your_Company_Name may filter content and continually monitor and update the filtering software. Your_Company_Name will permit employees to use its electronic mail, voicemail systems and Internet access subject to the following:

1.  Minimal personal use as long as it does not interfere with timely job performance and is consistent with law and appropriate protocols.

2.  The E-mail system and Internet access is not to be used in any way that may be disruptive, offensive to others, or harmful to morale. For example, sexually explicit images, ethnic slurs, racial epithets, or anything else that may be construed as harassment or disparagement of others based on their race, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, religious beliefs or political beliefs may not be displayed or transmitted.