Worker handbooks are a key human assets instrument for any small enterprise—and so they’re not only for workplace environments. In the event you’re a builder or contractor managing a crew, you’re going to want a building worker handbook to guard what you are promoting, your purchasers, and your staff.
Each building firm can profit from an worker handbook as a result of it compiles important info in your crew, serving to to keep away from miscommunication and confusion round office insurance policies, procedures, requirements, and extra.
If you’ll want to create an worker handbook in your building firm and don’t know the place to begin, we’ve obtained your again. Comply with this detailed information to study why a handbook for the development {industry} is so essential, and the way to make your individual.
Seize your toolbelt and construct a handbook—your staff will thanks for it!
What’s a building worker handbook?
A building worker handbook is an in depth doc that outlines your organization’s insurance policies and procedures. It supplies new hires with clear steerage on how issues are completed and what’s anticipated of them on the job. Present staff can use a handbook as a degree of reference to make clear office info like payroll practices, employment rights, and compliance with native laws.
However why is an worker handbook so essential to a building enterprise? Learn on to search out out!
Why do building firms want an worker handbook?
Operating a building firm comes with a excessive degree of threat: office accidents, authorized disputes, hazardous climate situations, and extra can have an effect on any job web site. In line with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 150,000 building web site accident accidents happen annually.
To assist mitigate office threat and construct belief together with your crew, it’s essential that each worker working in building has a transparent understanding of security protocols, which needs to be detailed in an worker handbook. Having all staff sign-off on a handbook that defines rights and obligations will assist defend what you are promoting ought to a lawsuit come up between you and a employee.
A complete handbook can even assist promote a constructive work tradition, setting your crew up for achievement by guaranteeing all expectations are clear. Be sure you encourage worker suggestions, updating handbooks when essential to indicate respect in your staff, enhance engagement, and preserve the data related.
How the development {industry} differs from different small companies
Whereas all small companies require a normal worker handbook, these created for building firms must also have industry-specific info on:
- Security protocols
- Authorized obligations
- Moral requirements
- Office habits
- Insurance coverage insurance policies
- Tools pointers
- Accident prevention strategies
- Emergency evacuation
- Potential worksite exposures
Together with thorough explanations on all the above will assist lower the danger of on-the-job errors and accidents. In the event you’re missing experience in sure areas, we suggest consulting a authorized skilled. This ensures your worker handbook complies with native legal guidelines and laws, and that each part is correctly outlined.
Get your building crew on the identical web page by leaving no room for misunderstanding.
What to incorporate in a building firm worker handbook
1. Firm overview
The primary part ought to outline your building firm’s mission, imaginative and prescient, and values. It’s essential your staff have a transparent image of what your organization prioritizes—variety and inclusion, well being and security, and many others.—proper off the bat. Shaping your organization’s work tradition round a set of core values and ethics will inform staff about what to anticipate so there are not any surprises.
2. Code of conduct
It’s important to incorporate all moral {and professional} expectations so your staff know the way you anticipate them to behave on a piece web site. This part can cowl all the things from attendance and punctuality to decorate code, however must also clarify how administration may also help your crew clear up issues like battle decision and reporting defective tools.
Listed below are another insurance policies to construct into your code of conduct:
- Well being and security protocols
- Alcohol, drug, and cigarette use
- Inclement climate
- Utilization of firm automobiles and tools
- Job web site expectations (cleanliness, group, dealing with hazardous materials, and many others.)
- Telephone utilization
- Office violence and harassment
3. Employment info
To keep away from fixed backwards and forwards between administration and staff throughout the onboarding course of and past, attempt to reply as many potential questions on employment insurance policies on this part. This could embrace info on:
4. Legal guidelines and laws
Right here is your probability to stipulate which federal, native, and state legal guidelines your building firm follows—and the way your staff should adjust to every. This part additionally helps with legal responsibility if one in all your staff recordsdata a lawsuit in opposition to your organization.
In case your handbook states your building firm is an equal alternative employer, it must also embrace info on anti-discrimination and anti-harassment legal guidelines, and the way administration will uphold and implement them via particular insurance policies.
The development {industry} comes with many well being and security laws, so it’s important your handbook particulars procedures for compliance to reduce hazard and oversights.
5. Disciplinary processes
As soon as your handbook’s insurance policies and procedures are clearly defined, you’ll want to incorporate a piece on the forms of penalties staff ought to anticipate in the event that they break the principles. These processes are sometimes outlined step-by-step, ranging from an preliminary warning to searching for counseling, and ending with termination of employment.
If an worker violates any coverage, like a employee reveals up late a number of instances or an assault happens in your crew, this framework ought to clearly state how every violation shall be addressed. Staff ought to have a transparent understanding of their particular tasks at work earlier than they’re disciplined.
Ideas for writing an attractive building worker handbook
Right here’s how one can guarantee your handbook is accessible, related, and fascinating:
- Incorporate worker suggestions
- Evaluation and replace it commonly
- Current it at a crew assembly—try to make it enjoyable with surveys and prizes!
- Embrace graphics and charts to make it extra readable
Use Homebase to distribute your worker handbook
In the event you’re not sure how or when to distribute your building worker handbook, Homebase can assist you. Use Homebase’s hiring & onboarding instrument to take the drudgery out of your admin duties and get your handbook into the mitts of your new hires!
