The purpose of this blog is to give business owners and Human Resource professionals guidelines for selecting an Employee Manual / Employee Handbook for their businesses.

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported that in 2005, companies paid out more than $378 million dollars in discrimination non-litigated settlements. In 2007, the EEOC received a total of 82,792 discrimination charges filed against private businesses.

One of the most effective ways to protect a business and the business owner against employee lawsuits is an effective Employee Manual Employee Policy Handbook.

The business owner generally has two choices when selecting an Employee Manual - - a template in which the business owner or HR Professional must supply answers to a series of questions or an Employee Manual Employee Policy Handbook researched and written by an attorney in which policies are based on Florida and Federal law.

Here are several key elements and questions for a business owner/HR professional to consider before purchasing and implementing an Employee Manual / Employee Handbook.

1. Consider the expertise of the author of the Employee Manual / Employee Handbook. Is the author a Business Law Attorney skilled in writing an Employee Manual / Employee Policy Handbook?

2. Is the California Employee Manual / Employee Handbook and its policies already completed and immediately ready for your company's use, or are you purchasing a software template program for which you need to take the time to fill out and answer numerous questions posed by the software before your Employee Manual Employee Policy Handbook is ready for you to use?

3. Are you able to customize the attorney written California Employee Manual / Employee Handbook? For example, is the Employee Manual / Employee Handbook in Microsoft Word format for ease in editing?

4. Is the Employee Manual / Employee Handbook written and customized specifically for California employers so that the Employee Manual / Employee Handbook is compliant with both California and federal laws?

5. Is the Employee Manual / Employee Handbook kept current as laws change? Is there an update service that keeps the Employee Manual / Employee Handbook policies up-to-date as laws frequently change?

6. Is there a Spanish Employee Handbook / Employee Manual available for those Employees who may not be able to fully comprehend material written in English, and who are more comfortable reading Spanish?

Choosing the right Employee Manual / Employee Handbook is crucial in protecting the business owner and business from employee claims and lawsuits.