Why is the handbook so inexpensive?
IT’s NOT!
Our manual cost over $1,000 to draft and review. It would cost you as much — if not more — to have an HR consultant or employment lawyer draft the same manual from scratch.
Is the handbook designed for our workforce?
The handbook has been drafted to cover private employers (no unions) and comply with federal employment law. The handbook is based on a fictitious company, Widget, Inc. (one location, with more than 50 employees).
Some of the policies may not apply to your workplace (for example, if you have less than 50 employees, you are not covered by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act). Similarly, you may want to include policies that are not contained in our handbook (for example, you may provide more holidays off than those specified in our handbook).
Can I adopt the handbook as is?
No!
You must review the manual to ensure that it actually meets with your employment policies and procedures.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your policies comply with all applicable law, whether federal, State or local.Our handbook is not legal advice and you should not rely on it as such. We strongly recommend that you take your manual to qualified employment counsel for review!Our manual — like all other downloadable manuals — is a framework on which you can base your manual. State and local laws vary greatly and workplace law can change at any time. Care must be taken that your policies comply with all applicable laws! What might be lawful in New York may be unlawful in California. What might be lawful for service industry employees may be unlawful for manufacturing employees.
There is no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” employee handbook! Don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise.
How should the handbook be used?
Read the manual and then make any changes that you think are necessary. Adopt new policies (as outlined in the manual) or conform the policies to your actual practice and procedure.When you’re done reviewing and editing the manual, take it to a qualified employment lawyer for his or her review.
Can you help us finalize our employee handbook?
Unfortunately, no. You should find a qualified HR consultant or employment lawyer in your area to help you finalize your handbook. Important: We will not respond to requests to finalize or modify the handbook or questions regarding the interpretation or application of particular policies! Providing that kind of service would preclude us from selling the manual at such a reduced price.
Can you recommend an HR consultant or lawyer?
Click here for a state-by-state listing of employment lawyers.
In what format do you offer the handbook?
You will download the handbook and forms in a compressed (“zipped”) format. Once extracted, you will have the manual in three formats: a rich text file, Microsoft Word Document and Adobe PDF file (all three formats have identical content). All of the forms are in PDF format only.
What are the system requirements?
You must have a zip utility to extract the downloaded file. The rich text file can be viewed in most word-processing software. The Microsoft Word version requires that you have a properly licensed version of Microsoft Word installed on your computer (version 2002 or higher). To view the PDF file, you will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat installed on your system (version 7 or higher).
More Questions?
You can contact us by email, at handbook(at)elinfonet.com.
Terms and Conditions
License Agreement for Employee Handbook. You must agree to the licensing agreement in order to download the manual.