The Importance of Documentation When Dealing With Staff

At this week's Women TIES Success Seminar, a local female attorney provided valuable insight on how a business can protect itself from potential legal pitfalls in hiring, firing and maintaining employees. It was an insightful seminar which stressed the importance of documentation when dealing with staff. Today we'll share some tips we learned at this week's presentation.

Create and Maintain Employee Files: No matter the size of your business, or the number of employees you have, create and maintain a personnel file for each staff member. The file should hold their official, signed employment letter, performance reviews, and documentation on tardiness, unexcused absences or disciplinary issues. The file should also track compensation and benefits. Maintain these files for at least three years after an employee leaves.

Have a Written Nondiscrimination Policy: To minimize the potential for being sued on discrimination issues, every company should have a written nondiscrimination policy. The top four discrimination areas are: health, age, sex, and pregnancy. The first day of employment review the policy with the new staff member and have them read and sign the policy. Keep a copy of the signed paperwork in their employee folder.

Consider Having an Employee Handbook: An employee handbook can be helpful if you stick to the policies outlined in it. If you aren't going to follow the procedures and policies in your corporate handbook - don't have one. If you want an employee handbook but don't know how to write it, consider hiring a Human Resource company to write it for you. Once it is completed, it is typically sent to an attorney for review before giving it to you to implement.