As a business grows and changes, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the most recent policies and procedures. One of the best ways for small-to-medium-sized businesses to do this is by updating their employee handbook on a regular basis. But how often should you update your employee handbook?

It can be tricky knowing when it’s time for an overhaul — but don't worry, we've got you covered. In this blog post, we'll explore why employers should update the company’s employee handbook as well as provide tips on what to include in an updated version.

Let's get started exploring how often should you update your employee handbook.

Why You Should Update Your Employee Handbook

Updating employee handbooks is essential to staying compliant with changing laws, reflecting changes in your business, and improving communication and clarity. Keeping up with the times ensures that everyone is on the same page.

Keep Up with Changes in the Law

It’s important to stay abreast of any new legislation or regulations that could affect how you manage employees. For example, if a new minimum wage law goes into effect in your state or locality, you need to update your policies accordingly so that all employees are aware of their rights and obligations under the law.

Reflect Changes in Your Business

Employee handbook updates reflect the most recent changes to company policies. This could include adding new benefits for employees or revising existing ones, updating vacation policies, introducing flexible work arrangements, or making other modifications based on feedback from staff members.

Employee handbook updates can help ensure everyone understands what is expected of them at work — from attendance requirements to dress codes — so there is no confusion or misunderstanding.

Additionally, an updated handbook can provide helpful guidance on topics such as harassment prevention training or dispute resolution procedures should issues arise between coworkers.

Next, we'll look at how often should you update your employee handbook.

How Often Should You Update Your Employee Handbook?

To ensure that your employee handbook remains current, it should be updated regularly, when significant changes occur, and after each open enrollment period.

Regularly Scheduled Updates

It’s a good idea to schedule regular updates for your employee handbook every year or two. This will help you stay on top of any new laws or regulations that may affect how you do business. You can also use this time to review existing policies and procedures to make sure they are still relevant and effective for your organization.

When Significant Changes Occur

When major events happen within the company such as a merger or acquisition, policy change, or new job roles being created, it is crucial to update the company handbook. This helps ensure that all employees have access to accurate information about their rights and responsibilities at work.

After Each Open Enrollment Period

After each open enrollment period (usually once per year), employers must update their employee handbooks with any new employee benefits offered by the company as well as eligibility requirements for those plans. An updated handbook ensures that employees know how much coverage they will receive if they enroll in one of these benefit packages.

What to Include in an Updated Employee Handbook

An employee handbook serves as a valuable resource for everyone in the company so that they are aware of their rights and responsibilities as well as any recent changes to policies or procedures.

Here are some key elements to include when updating your employee handbook.

Policies and Procedures

This section should outline all rules, regulations, and expectations that employees must follow while working at the company. It should also cover topics such as vacation time, sick leave, overtime pay, dress code policy, and how managers are supposed to handle disciplinary issues with employees.

Your employee handbook should clearly explain what benefits are available to employees, such as health insurance plans. It should also outline who is eligible for them (full-time vs part-time staff), how they can access these benefits (online portal or paper forms), and any other relevant information related to benefit offerings.

Performance Evaluation Guidelines

Performance evaluations are essential for providing feedback on job performance so that employees know where they stand within the organization. The evaluation process should be outlined in detail including criteria used for evaluating performance levels (excellent/good/needs improvement). It’s also important to note when reviews will take place so that both managers and employees have ample time to prepare.

By taking the time to update your employee handbook regularly, you can ensure that everyone in your organization has clear expectations regarding their roles within the company.

How to Update Your Employee Handbook Policies

It’s important to keep your handbook current in order to stay compliant with changing laws, reflect changes within the company, and improve communication between employees and managers.

Here are some tips on how you can make sure your employee handbook is always up-to-date.

Get Input from All Stakeholders Before Making Changes

When making updates or changes to your employee handbook, it’s important that all stakeholders have a say in what goes into it. This includes HR personnel, department heads, executives, legal counsel, and rank-in-file employees. Having input from everyone ensures that nothing gets overlooked when creating or updating policies and procedures.

Distribute Updated Copies and Get Acknowledge Receipt

Once you’ve updated your current handbook, make sure all employees receive a copy of it. Have them sign off on the acknowledgment receipt either electronically or manually.

Create an Internal Review Process

Establishing an internal process for reviewing any proposed changes before they go into effect will help ensure that everything is accurate before being implemented across the organization. Make sure this process involves multiple people who are familiar with both state/federal regulations as well as company policy guidelines so nothing slips through unnoticed during review periods.

By following these tips, you can be confident that your employee handbook remains up-to-date at all times. Keeping it current helps protect both employers and employees alike by ensuring compliance with applicable laws while also providing clear expectations for everyone involved within the organization.

Conclusion

How often should you update your employee handbook?

There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. Depending on the size and complexity of your business, as well as any changes in laws or regulations, you may need to update your employee handbook more frequently than others. However, at a minimum, we recommend reviewing and updating your employee handbook every year.

Are you an entrepreneur, founder, manager, or operational leader who needs help documenting processes and policies? Do you want to provide superior onboarding, offboarding, and training experiences for your employees? If so, Trainual is the perfect solution!

Our platform makes it easy to create company handbooks that are updated regularly. With our intuitive system of organization and automated notifications when changes occur, updating your current handbook has never been easier. Get started today with Trainual — the smarter way to manage policy updates in one place.