(Company Name

Address, City, State Zip

Phone)

(Date

Employer Name
Employer Title
Company
Address
City, State Zip)

Dear Sir/Madam:

Please find my report, Recommended Changes for (Company Name) Employee

Handbook, enclosed. Per your request I have reviewed our current policies and
observed behavior in the workplace. Here are my findings during the month of date in
the field and review of other agency policies.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this report or any of its contents,
please feel free to contact me at (email address).

Sincerely,

(Your Name)

enc
Recommended Changes for (Company Name)

Employee Handbook.

Prepared for

(Employer Name

Employer Title

Company Name

Address

City, State Zip)

Prepared by

(Your Name

Your Title

Company Name

Address

City, State Zip)

(Date)
 SUMMARY

Due to recent and overwhelming employee demands, I have been asked to investigate

how our company handles situations of fraternization, sexual harassment, and

maternity/paternity leave compared to what is listed in our current company’s employee

handbook. In this report, I will compare our current handbook to those of Adecco, and

Staffing Inc., and I will make recommendations for changes to our current policy.

If these changes are approved then (Company Name) will incur the cost of $112.50 (50

booklets at $2.25 each) and $1500.00 (2 hour sessions for 50 employees at $15.00

each) for a total of $1612.50. These training sessions can be held during two time slots

(10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for the day session, and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for the evening

session) during the first week of January.

i
 CONTENTS

Summary…………………………………………………………………………………….. i

Contents……………………………………………………………………………………... 1

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….. 2

Purpose …….……………………………………………………………………….. 2

Background …..…………………………………………………………………….. 2

Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………… 3

How does our current fraternization policy read, and how does it compare to

other companies?………………………………………….................................... 3

How does our current sexual harassment policy read, and how does it compare

to other companies? ……………….………………………………………............. 4

How does our current family leave policy read, and how does it compare to other

companies? …………………………….……………………................................. 5

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………... 6

Benefits to changing our current policies .......................................................... 6

Costs to changing our current policies ............................................................. 6

Recommendation………………………………………...…………………………………. 7

References…………………………………………………………………………………… 8

Appendix A …………………………………………………………………………………... 9

Appendix B ……………………………………………………………………………………10

Appendix C …………………………………………………………………………………...11

1
 INTRODUCTION

Purpose

On 1 November 2010, I was asked by the (Employer title), (Employer Name), of

(COMPANY NAME)’s corporate branch to investigate our current policies, and to make

recommendations for any changes that needed to be made. I found that there was a

certain amount of ambivalence regarding our policies towards fraternization, sexual

harassment, and family leave.

Background

(COMPANY NAME) acts as a liaison between companies seeking temporary

administrative assistance, and employees that closely match with our client’s

requirements. We are responsible for not only meeting our client’s needs, but our

employee’s needs as well. Maintaining a harmonious relationship between our clients

and employees is the key to our company’s success. For this to be possible, we must

keep current with federal and state laws as well as policies that are similar to

(COMPANY NAME).

2
 DISCUSSION

What is our current policy on fraternization, how is it enforced, and what changes

can be made?

Stephanie Losee & Helaine Olen (2007) wrote in Office Mate, “According to a 2007

study by the Vault, 19 percent of workers have dated the boss and 15 percent have

dated a subordinate” (p.128). This is an important statistic because people spend most

of their days at work, and after spending so much time together sometimes results in

relationships outside of work. In our current employee manual, it is insinuated that any

relations outside of being temporarily assigned (i.e. permanent positions, romantic

relations, personal life disclosure, etc.) is not acceptable but it is not strictly enforced.

According to our current policy any romantic relationships that occur between our clients

and employees will result in immediate termination of the employee and/or the client.

This is a harsh action to take and such drastic exploit causes employees and clients to

hide any romantic involvements. It is very difficult to know if relations exist unless we

are informed. Because it is a conflict of interest in business relations, our office would

benefit if periodic assignment checks are done on the employees. During these

unannounced visits the work and behavior of our employee can be observed; however if

any non business relationships are suspected, then confidential co-worker interviews

can be conducted to further investigate the matter. Employees and clients need to be

informed that if such a relationship is to occur they need to report it, so the employee

can be reassigned to another position.

3
What is our current policy on sexual harassment, how is it enforced, and what

changes can be made?

Our current policy is similar to Adecco’s policy. In their procedure it states, “The

investigation will be conducted confidentially to the extent possible. Where it is

determined that inappropriate conduct has occurred, Adecco will act to eliminate the

conduct and impose such corrective action as is necessary, including disciplinary

action, up to and including immediate termination” (p.20). A number of anonymous

employees have emphasized that they would be more prone to report sexual

harassment in earlier stages if they felt confident that they would be removed from the

assignment. Remaining in such an environment during the investigative process can

cause discomfort and more severe harassment. Linda G. Howard (2007) explains in

The Sexual Harassment Handbook “From 1992 to 2002, the amount employers paid to

settle employees’ sexual harassment lawsuits rose from about $10 million to about $50

million annually”(99). Such investigations can be costly. It is possible that an accusation

can be made in retaliation of some other undesirable result, and it is important to

understand that accusations are taken seriously and any person found to make a false

claim will be terminated immediately. Nevertheless, it is financially wiser to take steps to

prevent such lawsuits at a lower cost than that of actually being involved in such a suit

once accusations are found to be true.

4
What is our current family leave policy, how is it enforced, and what changes can

be made?

Our current family leave policy has similarities as well as differences to that of Staffing

Inc. Their policy states, “. . . you may be entitled to up to a total of twelve (12) weeks of

unpaid medical leave will be granted” (p. 6). However, we offer the initial federally

granted six weeks of leave and an additional six weeks maternity/paternity paid time off.

The additional six weeks is paid at a certain percentage according to how many hours

they have worked with (COMPANY NAME) and what their average pay scale is (see

appendix C). There are some employees that split this time up by taking advantage of

the initial six weeks paid through disability, and then taking the additional six weeks later

in the year. There should be a more specific condition that state this shall be for an

uninterrupted span of time, otherwise the additional time will no longer be offered once

the employee returns to work. We should place a similar statement as that of Amy

DelPo and Lisa Guerin (2009) in Create Your Own Employee Handbook, “intermittent

leave is only available if medically necessary” (p. 154). There is also an issue with how

adoption rules are applied. Deborah C. England and Lisa Guerin (2009) write in The

Essential Guide to Family & Medical Leave, “Although a parent is entitled to leave to

bond with a new child, the child must indeed be ‘new’” (p. 85). A clause stating that any

additional non paid leave used for the bonding of a child must be taken within the first

year of birth.

5
 CONCLUSION

Our company has been in business since 1974, and has kept up with the current legal

issues. However, current edits on our company employee handbook was last updated in

2005. In these quickly changing times there are new laws and practices that occur more

often than they have before. For this reason we must conduct annual reviews of our

policies and make changes accordingly.

Benefits to changing our current policies

(COMPANY NAME) will benefit from stricter guidelines within the workplace and within

the policy itself. Once they are put in to affect, the company will be more protected in

the long run from potential lawsuits and payments for personal time under the guise of

family leave.

Costs of changing our policies

Potential costs for changing the policies (to be effective beginning January 1, 2011:

Description Cost

Reprinting New Policy Booklets $ 112.50

(50 @ $2.25 ea)

Training of all employees $1500.00

(50 @ $15/hr for 2 hrs)

Total Cost $1612.50

6
 RECOMMENDATION

I have two recommendations: Firstly, that we incorporate the legal forms provided by

the NOLO guides “The Employer’s Legal Handbook,” “Create Your Own Employee

Handbook,” and “The Essential Guide to Family & Medical Leave,” which I have

attached in the appendix section of this report, into our current employee handbook.

The next one is that workshops be help for all employees to be properly trained in how

to handle such situations. One session will be offered in a daytime session (10:00 a.m.

to 12:00 p.m.) so that evening working employees can attend without causing any

missing time with their perspective client company. The next session will be in the

evening (7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.) for those employees that work during the daytime

hours. Both of these sessions will be offered during the first week of January 2011, so

that all employees are informed at the beginning of the year.

7
 REFERENCES

Adecco, (2009), Employee Handbook

DelPo, Amy. & Guerin, Lisa (2009). Create Your Own Employee
      Handbook (4th Ed.). Berkeley, CA: NOLO.

England, Deborah C. & Guerin, Lisa (2009). The Essential Guide to

      Family & Medical Leave (2nd Ed.). Berkeley, CA: NOLO.

Howard, Linda Gordon (2007). The Sexual Harassment Handbook.

      Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press

Losee, Stephanie & Olen, Helaine (2007). Office Mate. Avon, MA:
      Adams Media & F+W Publications Company.

Staffing Inc., (2007) New Employee Handbook

8
 Appendix A

Workplace Behavior

12:1 Fraternization

People who work together have an impact on each other's performance, productivity,
and personal satisfaction in their jobs. In addition, how our employees act toward clients
and fellow employees will influence whether those relationships are successful for our
Company.

Because your conduct affects many more people than just yourself, we expect you to
act in a professional manner whenever you are on Company property, conducting
Company business, or representing the Company at business or social functions.

Individuals who act unprofessionally will face discipline, up to and including termination.
This includes conducting a relationship with any employees of At Your Service
Temporary Employment, and any employees that work for the client in which you are
assigned to. Any possible relations should be reported immediately to our office so that
you may transfer to an assignment with a different client.

9
 (DelPo & Guerin CD-ROM)

Appendix B

Harassment

12:2 Harassment Will Not Be Tolerated

It is our policy and our responsibility to provide our employees with a workplace free
from harassment. Harassment on the basis of ___[list prohibited bases for
discrimination]___ undermines our workplace morale and our commitment to treat each
other with dignity and respect. Accordingly, harassment will not be tolerated at our
Company.

Harassment can take many forms, including but not limited to touching or other
unwanted physical contact, posting offensive cartoons or pictures, using slurs or other
derogatory terms, telling offensive or lewd jokes and stories, and sending email
messages with offensive content. Unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual
favors and sexually suggestive gestures, jokes, propositions, email messages, or other
communications all constitute harassment.

If you experience or witness any form of harassment in the workplace, please

immediately notify the Company by following the steps outlined in our Complaint Policy
(see Section __ of this Handbook). We encourage you to come forward with
complaintsthe sooner we learn about the problem, the sooner we can take steps to
resolve it. The Company will not retaliate, or allow retaliation, against anyone who
complains of harassment, assists in a harassment investigation, or files an
administrative charge or lawsuit alleging harassment. All managers are required to
immediately report any incidents of harassment, as set forth in our Complaint Policy.

Complaints will be investigated quickly. Those who are found to have violated this policy
will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

10
 (DelPo & Guerin CD-ROM)

Appendix C

Maternity/Paternity Leave

15:5 Maternity/Paternity Leave

Employees who have worked for our Company for at least 12 months, have worked at
least 1,250 hours during the previous year, and work within 75 miles of at least 50
Company employees, are eligible to take family and medical leave.

Reasons for Leave

12-Week Entitlement

Eligible employees may take up to 12 consecutive weeks of unpaid leave in a 12-

month period to bond with a newborn, newly adopted child, or recently placed foster
child. This 12-month period begins the first day of leave request, and ends no later than
12 weeks from the beginning date. Leave cannot be “split up” and taken at separate
times throughout the year. A parent who takes leave to care for a newborn, newly
adopted child, or recently placed foster child must complete this leave within a year after
the birth, adoption, or placement.

(DelPo & Guerin CD-ROM)

Maternity/Paternity (COMPANY NAME) Payscale

Hours completed Hourly Rate

$8.00-$12.00/hr $12.01-$16.00 $16.01-$20.00 $20.01+

1400-2000 30% 35% 40% 45%

2001-4000 35% 40% 45% 50%

4001-6000 40% 45% 50% 55%

6000+ 45% 50% 55% 60%

11
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