Yes! A professionally written employee handbook, kept up-to-date and in compliance with all state and federal laws that apply to you, is the most powerful document in your practice. It’s the go-to resource for you and your employees when it comes to office rules, legal compliance, and what to do in day-to-day workplace situations.

Your employee handbook helps prevent many headaches for your office, before they ever happen. They provide a common resource for everyone, from the office manager to a brand new employee on their first day, to handle many of the day-to-day issues they encounter. With fair rules being applied consistently to everyone, you’ll avoid many of the common dilemmas that occur at so many small practices.

Professionally written employee handbooks also tend to discourage lawsuits from being brought by unscrupulous lawyers. The case against an employer becomes much more difficult when there is an updated and compliant employee handbook in place that it often it’s simply not worth their time, with so many easier targets available.

In the event an employee does bring a claim against your business, whether that claim is justified or not, your employee handbook serves as powerful evidence that your office makes every effort to treat employees fairly. This can mean the difference between winning and losing a case. Even in the worst case scenario, the consequences are likely to be far less severe for a business that can provide evidence of good-faith efforts to follow all applicable employment laws.

So the question is: why wouldn’t you have such a powerful tool at your disposal?

Self-made or DIY handbooks are very popular with doctors looking to save a few dollars. But just like you wouldn’t recommend that a patient do his own root canal at home to save money, it is just as dangerous to attempt to write your handbook on your own.

The harsh reality is that doctors are 5x more likely to be the target of a complaint from a former or disgruntled employee than a malpractice lawsuit from a patient. And the disgruntled employee does not even need to have a good case in order to get you in trouble. All they need is for their lawyer to find a problematic or illegal policy in your self-written employee handbook.

Writing a handbook requires advanced knowledge of federal, state and even your city’s employment laws, and includes factors such as how many employees you have and what industry you’re in. Plus, these complex laws change so frequently that only an HR expert or an attorney who specializes in employment law has the tools (and the time!) to fully comprehend and keep up with everything.

You went to school to become a doctor, not an employment law attorney. You need someone with specialized knowledge to write your handbook for you so it protects you, not endangers you.

Using a purchased or free employee handbook template sounds like a good alternative to writing one yourself, but more than 95% of handbook templates available on the Internet contain dangerous omissions, errors, and out-of-date policies that can obliterate your ability to defend a claim, result in hefty fines or settlements, and cost you tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

And since hundreds of state and federal employment laws are changed or created during the course of each year, a one-size-fits-all template cannot possibly be kept up to date. (This is even more true in states like California, New York, or some others, where the legal provisions employers must comply with are especially numerous and strict.) How many employees you have, your industry, and your office culture also matter when it comes to what policies and protections you need to have in place.

In order to gain all of the benefits and protections available to healthcare employers, you need to have a customized employee handbook written by HR experts and attorneys who specialize in employment law. Besides, there’s no substitute for working with human beings whose knowledge and understanding you can trust.

We hear doctors say this all the time: “I asked my brother’s friend’s cousin, who is an attorney, to write my policies for me,” or “My real estate attorney said he could write my handbook.”

But consider this: An attorney’s specialization is just as crucial as a physician’s. Would you let a cardiologist give you a root canal? Your employee handbook should have the same specialized attention.

Not all attorneys are created equal, and unless the attorney specializes in employment law, they simply don’t have the in-depth knowledge to properly write your handbook. In fact, their process would look a lot like yours: Ask colleagues, make educated guesses, and make liberal use of Google.

There IS one important difference between their research and yours: theirs will cost you upwards of $350 an hour! And of course, the next time there’s a law change in your state, you’ll have to pay them again to update the handbook. And the next time. And the next time. If you need guidance on implementing the policies they come up with, there’s likely to be a hefty hourly consultation fee for that as well.

While there is no replacement for direct legal representation when the situation calls for it, CEDR’s services can help prevent most problems from escalating. Between the lawsuit deterrence a well-written employee handbook provides, and the unlimited HR support and guidance offered by our Solution Center, we can alleviate the need to have your employment law attorney on speed dial.

Many doctors are told by their attorneys or colleagues that having no handbook is better than having one that requires constant updates. Their argument is, with no handbook, you won’t have outdated policies on record every time employment laws change.

In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth! Your handbook is often the ONLY evidence of your intention to comply with state and federal laws and to treat all of your employees fairly and consistently. It lays out rules that apply to everyone, and shows your commitment to providing employees a safe, fair environment to perform their duties.

In addition, by having no handbook, you also don’t have any of the numerous safe harbor policies available to you as an employer, such as burden shifters or alternative dispute resolution requirements. Remember, most employment laws are written for the benefit of the employee, not the employer. An employee simply has to walk through your door to enjoy all the protections available to him or her. But as an employer, you can only claim yours by putting it in writing.

Finally, why REACT to a problem when you can PREVENT it? An employee handbook can help you prevent, address, and solve most common issues before they can escalate. After all, the easiest lawsuit to overcome is the one that never happens!

Just like a “one size fits all” business suit will never match the comfort, fit and utility of one tailored for your body, a generic employee handbook is not as effective as one written specifically for your business.

Here’s why:

• Each state has hundreds of unique employment laws, and they are often more specific, more strict, and more broadly applicable than federal laws. And your handbook must comply with them all.
• Depending on the number of employees in your office, different laws and protections at both the state and federal levels will apply to you. A company with 5 employees needs different procedures than one with 15, and they have different rules than at 25 employees or 50+.
• The demands of every medical subfield are unique. Whether you’re a dentist, an orthopedist, or a veterinarian, your employee handbook needs to take into account the recent legal and practical changes happening in your field.
• Just like a fingerprint, there is no other practice quite like yours in the world. You need something tailored to your office culture and your business’ values and goals to get the greatest benefit from the document.

Combined together, it’s clear that a one-size-fits-all solution can’t address all of these areas properly for everyone. Something, somewhere, will be missed. And correctly merging your unique office culture with the policies and protections you need takes legal and HR expertise. That’s what CEDR is for – to make sure you get what you want, while still getting what you need.