This Handbook provides an overview of federal laws addressing employer-employee rights and obligations. Information discussed includes wages & hours, discrimination, termination of employment, pension plans and retirement benefits, workplace safety, workers' compensation, unions, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and much more in 25 pages of materials.
Employee Handbook Legal Requirements In Bexar
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State:
Multi-State
County:
Bexar
Control #:
US-002HB
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Word;
PDF;
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FAQ
While an employee handbook is not legally required of employers, the lack of one can create confusion, as you note, and lead to decreased morale and potential for legal claims. With no handbook guiding them, managers are without rules to rely on.
While there is no specific law on the federal level that requires employers to create an employee handbook, certain labor regulations may apply if you choose to create one.
Whether all of your employees are based in Texas or only a handful, you will need to provide a Texas-specific handbook to ensure your employees know the policies and rights entitled to them by their state. Find the required state policies for Texas, federally required policies, and other optional policies below.
Legal compliance There is no law requiring you to have an employee handbook. However, many federal and state laws require employers to inform employees of their rights in the workplace. Your staff handbook is one of the best ways to deliver this information to your employees.
How to write an employee handbook Include your company's mission statement. Write a brief section on company history. State any legal declarations. Explain your dress code. Include details about work hours. Define duties. Include department-specific policies. Describe company benefits.
If you don't have an employee handbook, opposing counsel will likely use the absence of a handbook to prove the absence of any consistent policies or procedures upon which employees are treated.
Generally speaking, an employee handbook is not a legally binding contract unless it explicitly states that it is. However, certain statements in the handbook can be interpreted as contractual promises if they are specific enough and imply mutual obligations between employer and employee.
Small businesses can also benefit from providing their employees with an employee handbook. While they're not mandatory, a well-crafted HR handbook is a single source of information that clearly conveys company culture, practices and policies to employees.
When Can Failure to Follow Policy Lead to a Legal Claim? As with most rules, there are exceptions to the laws governing employment at will. In some situations, an employer is required to follow their own policies and apply them consistently, or be subject to legal liability.
This can be quite frustrating for employees, and unfair, as employees rely on the handbook to follow procedure and expect the employer to similarly follow the handbook rules. Unfortunately, with only extremely rare exceptions, it is not illegal for an employer to violate their own handbook policies.