Boutique Employee Handbook - Do You Need One?

Hey, guys, it's Sarah with the Boutique Hub. And I'm back today to answer again another one of our frequently asked questions. What is an employee handbook and do I really need it for my boutique? Well, the answer is yes, you absolutely, 100% need an employee handbook. You're going to have employees. Right. You're never going to be as small in your business as you are today. Right. Because we're running a business, not a hobby. At the Boutique Hub, we are big on education, and we really strive to make sure all of the people that are getting into this business, all of the people that think they want to be a boutique owner, build their boutique with the idea in mind that they're going to be bigger tomorrow than they are today. So that being said, before you hire someone, make sure you have everything properly documented, ready to go, and you're setting yourself up for success, not failure. So that means, yes, you do need an employee handbook. Why? Well, it's a communication tool. It is a way to present a document to your new hires, to your employees, so they understand who you are, why you're in business, what your mission is and what their role is going to be in that business. They understand what your journey is. Right. They in the know. It's all about being in the know. No confusion. Everybody likes to work for somebody that they understand why they're in business, they understand the mission. They can really adapt to that. Right. They can feel a part of it. They can feel accountable for things. Right. Well, that's what an employee handbook does. Is it a legal, binding contract? No, that's a living document. And it will change as your business changes. Right. You can make amendments to it. You can adjust it. Yes. It's not something written in stone or concrete. That is a contract. It's not. Your employees are always at will. Employees, they can leave when they want to leave. Right. But while they're there, isn't it important for you to know that they know what you expect of them and how protected they are in your business? Yeah, absolutely. So here are a few things. One, always, always, always make sure that your employee handbook is in compliance with your state, local and federal laws. Right. Very important. Not sure what those are. Go to Google, check them out. Right. It's like a playbook, like a roadmap I mentioned earlier. These are all very important things you want to call your employee handbook, but the bottom line is you've got to get them to read it. Right. You've got to get them to buy into what you're selling as Far as what policies that you have in your business, what are your non negotiables, what are the things that you expect out of these people that you're going to pay to do a service or complete a job that you're hiring to bring into your business? So start your employee handbook off with a welcome. Maybe it's a letter from you or just a little note about who you are, what your business is all about, why you are in existence. Like your mission statement, right? Make sure it includes your mission statement. Then all the procedures and the policies, right? The job classification, what they are going to have, access to, what they're not, what they're protected by, what they're not. Any commonly asked questions within your business I think are important to answer in the employee handbook. So general information, like I said, the policies and procedures, your state laws, if this happens, then we take this action. That's a great general rule, right? If you are sexually harassed in this business, we will take this action. If you steal from me, I will take this action. Right? All sorts of information needs to be compiled into this employee handbook or your playbook, or your guide, or your roadmap, whatever you want to call it. But at the end of the day, keep in mind that this is a communication tool. You do not want to be repeating yourself over and over and over again, right? It's really a great way to communicate your strategies, your policies, your procedures with these new hires. So they're on the same page as you are. So when problems happen or rules are broken or policies are broken, you have something to fall back on, right? And you know that they were brought up to speed on this. This is a non negotiable, this is a policy that you established because at the end of this handbook, I recommend that you have them sign a date that they've read it and they agree to it. Is it a legal binding contract? No, like I said, it's a living document. However, is it something that can protect you from getting sued? Is it something that can protect you in the court of law? If they say this business did not present sexual discrimination policies with me and, and I did this, I didn't know it was wrong. It is, it is something that can help protect you, your business, your assets in the court of law, right? So if this happens, then that those are your policies, outline them for your staff in your employee handbook. So again, keep in mind your staff are at will. Staff, they can come and go, they can leave when they want to leave. This is not a life binding document by any Sort of imagination. However, it is a roadmap. It's a communication tool. It's a way for them to be in the know about what's important to you as a business owner and what they need to be stepping up and doing, what policies they need to be following. What are the non negotiables in your business? Because at the end of the day, guys, like I said, you're going to be bigger tomorrow than you are today, right? And you want to make sure everybody is moving that, that ball forward, not back. So clear lines of communication all start with this employee handbook. So I highly recommend that when you get this document finished, you have some money legal, read it over, make sure you're not missing anything, right? Make sure you are following all the code of conduct and all the policies and all the laws set forth by your state, local and federal government. Right. When you have this completed, I highly recommend you make it digital, make it accessible online. You have a paper copy. But something I think is really fun to do is make this handbook into a video. I say that because people read, but they don't always retain what they read. Right. Often video is something that they can watch and it really sinks in. So. And I also think it's a great exercise for you and your existing staff to create. It's a fun team building exercise. So, so take that handbook and turn it into a fun video for them to watch that outlines your non negotiables, it outlines why you're in business, it outlines your policies and procedures. All right guys, so yes, you need an employee handbook because you're running a business, not a hobby. You want to protect who you are and what you are and you want anybody that comes into your business that you're going to pay for, services that you're going to spend time with, that you are going to entrust within your business. You want them to be in the know. You want them to understand why they even have a job and what the mission of that business is. It all starts with an employee handbook. Makes you a professional business, not a hobby. Alright guys, for more information on tips like this or questions about hiring and firing, I'll come back with another video on that. But in the meantime, guys, thank you for watching and we'll see you again.