How Good Is Your Employee Handbook

What does your employee handbook say about progressive discipline? A recent New Jersey case shows what it should say.

When PNC Bank, N.A., fired two employees for sending inappropriate e-mails during work hours, the employees sued, claiming that the progressive discipline process outlined in the employee handbook amounted to a contract--that the employer had guaranteed certain disciplinary steps, such as warnings, before termination. But because the company put sufficient disclaimers in the handbook, the court sided with the employer.