Long past is the time when good intentions were enough in relation to established, well communicated employee policies. The climate of recruiting, selecting, managing and retaining good, productive employees is "cloudy" at best. The complexity of current employment regulations and the rate at which those same laws change, is overwhelming.

    Several recent cases were not only settled in the plaintiffs' favor, but the punitive damages awarded were absolutely staggering. In several of these cases however, the employers who faired better were able to provide evidence of a good faith effort in their written, published employee guidelines and policies.

    Examples of areas where clear, written guidelines or policies are critical are harassment, discrimination, hiring, workplace violence, etc. To design and provide a policy for your employees that is "user friendly" and legally compliant, certain steps should be taken.

• Identify the subject or issue the policy addresses.
• State the Company's purpose and commitment to providing an avenue of communication regarding the issue.
• Define the actions that would constitute infractions or violations of the policy.
• Identify the persons/positions covered by the policy, as well as the person(s) responsible for implementing and enforcing the policy.
• Describe the process an employee would follow to comply with the policy or guideline.
• Reassure the employee that following established guidelines and procedures will be supported and not retaliated.
• Finally, restate the employer's commitment to communication, employee support, and solicit their feedback.

    Details: (770) 396-0202, bconnell@ermi.net, www.ermi.net