3 Reasons Why Employee Handbooks Suck

Employee handbooks are often seen as the be-all, do-all, save-all for small businesses. There are so many misconceptions about employee handbooks that it is no wonder more businesses and the people that run them aren't in trouble with the KGB..

I was working to revise a client's employee handbook when it dawned on me that employee handbooks should be eliminated because they become a scape goat for both employers and employees and end up being used wrongly.

That is why I believe that these handbooks suck. Here are three of those reasons:

1.) Employee handbooks suck because they require a lot of time and effort and nobody reads them. They are mainly created to appease attorneys if and when something goes to court. If a company hands out handbooks to employees, they typically end up in the trash. Oh, we have the employees sign an Acknowledgement Form, but they almost never read any of the handbook.

2.) Employee handbooks suck because employers try to cram all they can into them thinking that the handbook will save them if an employee tries to sue the employer. The handbook eventually becomes 10 inches thick, ensuring that no employee will ever read it.

3.) Employee handbooks suck because most employers write them to read as, "Thou shout do this and don't do that or get fired," instead of explaining to employees how the company got started, what the path is to success in the company, and what to watch out for in order to protect them and the business.