Employee Handbooks

Employment law attorney Thomas Wieser helps employers ensure that employee handbooks contain all legally required provisions and protect the employer’s interests to the greatest extent possible.

Role of an Employee Handbook

When a client calls Tom Wieser with questions about how to respond to issues relating to an employee, one of the first documents Tom requests is the employee handbook. When an unhappy employee consults with a legal advisor, one document the attorney reviews is the employee handbook. When an employee files a charge with an administrative agency, such as the EEOC or the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, that agency is likely going to review certain policies in the employee handbook, starting with the EEO nondiscrimination policy.

Historically, employee handbooks included policies promulgated by the employer, such as the standard at-will policy, attendance, vacation, and sick policies. As employment law developed, employee handbooks included a mandatory sexual harassment policy, detailed FMLA policy (if applicable), and a policy addressing the employer’s accommodation process to address employee disabilities. More recent employee handbook revisions include federal and state pregnancy and childbirth accommodation policies, safe and sick leave disclosures, and paid leave policy information.

Tom Wieser’s experience includes working with dozens of employers to properly incorporate the mandatory policies, while maintaining policies and practices unique to the employer.