Definition: A document that outlines your company policies in regards to
discrimination in hiring and management practices
As companies grow, they encounter issues that smaller firms
don't. For instance, many employment laws, such as the federal
Family Medical Leave Act, apply only to firms of a certain size or
larger. As you grow, your employee policy manual has to grow with
you. Simply knowing what's right isn't enough. When the majority
of--or even all--employee supervision was handled by you or one or
two trusted colleagues, maybe you could survive on faith in them
and them in you. But as your company grows, you'll hire new
employees and new supervisors, and that means you'll need to commit
to writing exactly how employees ought to be treated and the
behaviors your company will not tolerate.
Laws concerning sexual harassment are steadily evolving, and
your policies on harassment in the workplace need to keep pace. For
example, one recent ruling says that a company without a strong
anti-harassment policy is likely to be held liable if one of its
supervisors commits sexual harassment against an employee.
In general, anti-discrimination employment legislation is
expanding to cover a larger group of employees. Along with gender,
race, color, religious beliefs, national origin, age and
disability, some jurisdictions protect employees who are
discriminated against on the basis of appearance or sexual
orientation. Your employees may be protected from any retaliation
by you because they reported you for violating a law or regulation.
Take note of federal, state and local laws regarding
discrimination, and make sure their intent is clearly reflected in
your employee policy manual.