Widget, Inc. would like to welcome you to our family of employees. You are the most important asset we have. We depend on each employee to provide the best product(s), service(s) and customer care as possible. This manual will help you understand the rules and policies which helped get us to where we are today.
The legacy of our company and its continued success make us the most recognized name in our industry. For years we have made business decisions necessary to ensure our success. The most recent decision was hiring you, and we are certain we made the right choice.
The company was founded in 1930 by the late John Smith. The operation was in place before that time as a hobby for about six years. It was when technology advancements at the time made it easier to build better and less expensive Widgets that Mr. Smith hired three friends to help him. The business was sold in 1943 and in two years was purchased again by Mr. Smith's partner. Because of World War II, orders placed resulted in a springboard for success and continued research and development. Today, we are the nations 2nd largest provider of Widgets to the Widget user industry.
Once again, welcome to the company and best wishes of success to you during your new employment. We hope through our company, you will reach your goals and help us reach ours.
This Employee Policy Manual has been designed to help new and current employees familiarize themselves with Widget, Inc.'s policies, procedures and business culture. Other aspects of employment with our company which do not appear should be addressed with your immediate supervisor or HR Department. Wherever this manual states "The Company" or "Company" it means Widget, Inc. and our physical worksites. Employees who work at client locations may have other policies that are also to be abided by.
Widget, Inc. will always try to give employees notice when a policy or benefit is expected to be changed. However, the Company may choose for its own reasons at any time and with no prior notice to change, suspend, delete, add, remove or otherwise modify any or all content in this manual to meet legislative, economic, financial or other conditions as needed. The regulations and benefits required by law will always remain in force. In addition, any provision in this Employee Manual found to be unenforceable and invalid, such finding does not invalidate the entire Employee Manual, but only that particular provision.
The Manual will apply to all employees unless they are excluded or exempted by name, group, department, status, class or other non-discriminatory method. The Policy manual is not a contract for employment. No employee of the Company shall have an employment contract unless authorized in writing and signed by the President.
Only those employees of Widget, Inc. who are authorized to make changes to this manual are authorized to do so. Changes will be posted when approved in the time clock area. Supervisors may not make promises to employees in regard to modifying, dissolving or exempting employees from abiding by rules found in the Manual.
Unless specifically noted, all employees will accrue credit toward benefit eligibility based on work time only. In some cases, a fixed period of time may be used to determine eligibility. No employee will be entitled to accrue benefits following the last date worked or during periods of medical leave (FMLA and non-FMLA) or Leaves of absence.
Be advised you will be required to sign an acknowledgement of this manual. This is done following your acceptance of employment and while you complete required hire paperwork. If the employee signs the acknowledgement before reading the manual, it implies the employee understands they have the responsibility to read the manual at a later time on their own terms.
Your supervisor will give you the rules you will need to know to get started as an employee, and it is also expected you will use common sense and ethics in the workplace and ask questions until the manual is reviewed. It is sometimes impractical to verify require employees to sit and read the manual, and therefore it is each employee's responsibility to take time to learn and discuss the Company Policy Manual with co-workers and supervisors. Details from these discussions should be reinforced through verifying such data in the manual or upon conflict, by bringing such items to the attention of a supervisor or the HR Department.
It is important to include what are understood as "basic protections" in your Employee Manual. The protocol in the Notice Section sets the groundwork for the interpretation of the manual. It is best to include any "perceived loopholes" as they may occur in the text. This allows the Company to focus on just listing pertinent policies later in the Manual body. These conditions assist in situations where employees try to interpret the manual outside of its intended use. Remember, all policies listed in the manual must be within the context of state and federal laws on each topic. A policy may not be enforceable if it is illegal or incomplete in execution.