Getting Help in Writing Employee Handbook
Q: We would like any information on preparing an employee handbook for our organization. We’re an insurance broker with seven employees. Where can we get templates, examples or guidance in the preparation of the handbook?
--Susanna E. Dagdagan,
Sherman Oaks
A: An employee handbook includes information on affirmative action, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission compliance, sexual harassment definitions and guidelines, sex/age/racial discrimination policies, wage and hour information, use of office equipment, vacation policy and a host of other details. There are many books and Web sites that sell boilerplate documents that you can use. Boilerplate documents or software templates may include lots of information you don’t really need, or, conversely, they may not include some information that your business definitely should include in a handbook.
The drawback to using a canned handbook is the risk that if you are sued by an employee or ex-employee, you may find that the policy in question was not covered in the template package you used, or that it was glossed over with one line that a court will find did not adequately state your company’s position.
An employment lawyer, preferably one that represents management, may be your best source for creating a good handbook. An attorney who is familiar with current rulings and ongoing litigation matters in this arena will be able to provide you with a well-crafted handbook that is specific to your needs.
That said, you may be able to start with some basic templates that you can download from a Web site, such as the one offered by Bent Ericksen & Associates at https://www.bent-ericksen.com. This site is only one of many human resources sites on the Web that offer employment handbooks and other packages for sale. If you take a package like this and use it as a starting point for putting together a handbook that is unique to your company, then have your efforts reviewed by an employment lawyer, you should be in good shape.
--Stephen M. McNamara,
attorney at law,
Orange
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Q: I would like to start my own newsletter. I would like it to be available online for subscriptions and for people to send news to me. I have my dream and my ideas, but I don’t know where to start.
--Jerome Daniel Lewis,
San Pedro
A: The mechanics of starting an online newsletter are simple. It’s quite easy to set up a mailing list through a Web site such as https://www.listbot.com or https://www.onelist.com, and there are virtually no start-up costs involved. But you need to think through the idea before you take the plunge.
First, ask yourself what you’re trying to accomplish. What you are selling with a newsletter is your own intellectual capital--your brain, your expertise in a specific area. Unless you have wide name recognition, most people won’t be willing to pay for a subscription. There is so much free information on the Web--on nearly any topic imaginable--that it is very tough to try to sell news or advice online. If you plan on the newsletter’s becoming a revenue source, then, you could have a hard time.
What you might want to do is look at the newsletter not as a revenue generator, but as a way to introduce yourself to potential clients. You can write columns on the subject matter you have some expertise in and then circulate it for free as a means to expose yourself and your services to a wide range of people who may want to hire you in the future. In this manner, the newsletter would be more a marketing tool than a revenue source.
Of course, if it gets popular enough, you can divide it into two parts: Do a short free version that’s like a teaser, and then include an option by which your subscribers can get the full edition if they pay for it. But I would recommend that you establish a good circulation base and issue the newsletter for at least two years before you start charging for subscriptions.
A caveat: Be very clear on the kind of commitment you’re making before you get started. Doing a regular newsletter is time-consuming, even if you’re writing only a few pages a month, and you must be certain that you make the time for it. Keeping quality control up and being effective after the first two or three editions is difficult. And if you start missing your deadlines, you’ll lose credibility with the very people that you’re hoping to sell to.
--Jonathan Hirshon,
chief executive,
Horizon Communications,
Santa Clara, Calif.
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Q: Where can I find a reliable list of e-mail addresses for all the companies in the Riverside-San Bernardino area? I had intended doing a direct-mail piece, but the commercial list source I contacted indicates a database of more than 6,000 names, which seems like rather a lot.
--Don Coulson, Temecula, Calif.
A: Sending unsolicited e-mail to a large group of potentially uninterested recipients--without asking their permission first and without giving them a way to opt out of future communications--is a marketing strategy that may backfire.
This “junk mail” of the Internet age, colloquially known as “spam,” has a high probability to irritate rather than endear your audience to your company.
That said, the keys to e-mail marketing include:
* Making sure you pick recipients who truly may have a use for your service or product. Rather than sending to all the businesses in your area, for instance, narrow your list down to the companies that you know already use something you are selling. You can buy commercial e-mail lists from Web sites that advertise “opt-in” lists, meaning that the addresses they provide are from people who have asked to receive more information on the product or service you’re selling.
* Giving the people you target a quick and easy way to opt out of any future communications, or letting them know that you will contact them only once unless they ask you for more information.
* Telling the people on your list where you got their addresses, and assuring them that you will not resell their addresses to anyone else.
You should be aware that there are disreputable companies that simply pull addresses off the Internet and claim that they came from “opt-in” lists. So even if you do buy an opt-in list, some recipients may assume you’re a spammer.
I’d recommend that you join a professional organization for your industry, spend some time networking and volunteering with that group, and then buy or rent its membership e-mail list for your mailing.
As an alternative, you could approach a publication that circulates in your industry and rent its subscriber list for a one-time e-mail campaign. This will be more expensive, but it will give you more credibility with potential customers if you let them know you’re sending them information about your product because you know they already have some interest in it.
--Jonathan Hirshon
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If you have a question about how to start or operate a small business, mail it to Karen E. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 1333 S. Mayflower Ave., Suite 100, Monrovia, CA 91016, or e-mail it to kklein6349@aol.com. Include your name, address and telephone number. This column is designed to answer questions of general interest. It should not be construed as legal advice.
