In the last few weeks, we have received more and more questions as to what additional provisions should be included in an Employee Manual, over and above the “standard” provisions. Not all employees need to know how to be in ACA Compliance but if it gives them a better understanding of how the company operates, there is no harm in letting them know. As a result, outlined below are certain provisions which should be included in every Employee Manual.
Employee Recruitment: This provision should include where to advertise for employees, how to write job advertisements, how to prepare effective job descriptions, proper interview techniques, as well as sample interview questions.
Office Policies: This provision should focus on establishing office policies and procedures in order to introduce new staff to your practice, as well as provide ground-rules and practice philosophy.
Employment Policies: With this provision, you should establish guidelines for personal appearance, sexual harassment, and substance abuse. In addition, an employee manual should also outline the use of cell phones and social media within the practice and outside of the practice.
Employee Training: Your office manual should establish employee training techniques from OSHA and HIPAA, where mandatory.
Employee Benefits: Every employee manual should address vacation, sick time, other leave policies, health insurance coverage, and retirement plans.
Employee Management: This provision should set forth employee management guidelines in order to promote positive office morale, employee appreciation and incentive programs, bonuses, performance-based raises, and performance evaluations.
Employee Termination: This provision should focus on the delicate but important issue of employee termination procedures. Failure to address employee termination in the proper manner could open a practice owner up to certain violations of state and federal law.
Patient Management: This provision should set forth guidelines for employees to promote positive relations with special needs, pediatric, geriatric, and difficult patients through confident communication skills.
Workplace Safety and Security: Your office manual should examine safety and security in the workplace, including complying with OSHA standards, as well as handling emergencies and natural disasters. If someone falls victim to an injury in an unsafe working environment, employers might want to use claims management services to help coordinate appropriate medical treatments, manage claims to reduce costs, and assist with return to work transitions – this will ensure that businesses continue to stand by their employees, ensure their needs are met, and your business deals with the incident correctly. For example making sure that the proper protocols are always followed including using things like commercial cleaning in Philadephia or an area that your office is in, to make sure that the hygiene standards are to the highest quality.
By evaluating your Employee Manual and implementing a few additional provisions, a practice owner may avoid a wide range of employment law problems.
Author(s)
Stuart J. Oberman, Esq.
Stuart J. Oberman is the founder and President of Oberman Law Firm. Mr. Oberman graduated from Urbana University and received his law degree from John Marshall Law School. Mr. Oberman has been practicing law for over 30 years, and before going into private practice, Mr. Oberman was in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 Company.
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