Self-made or DIY handbooks are very popular with doctors and managers looking to save a few dollars. But, just like you wouldn’t recommend that a patient perform his own root canal or appendectomy 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 FIVE TIMES more likely to be the target of a complaint from a former or disgruntled employee than a malpractice lawsuit from a patient. And the employee does not even need to have a good case to get you in trouble. All they need is for their lawyer to find a problematic or illegal policy in your 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 currently have and what industry you’re in. Plus, these complex laws change so frequently—at the rate of dozens of times per year—that only an HR expert or an attorney with the right focus and experience has the tools (and the time!) to fully comprehend and keep up with everything.
As a practice owner or manager, you already have an impressive skill set and an endless to-do list. You don’t have time to learn to be an attorney. You need someone with specialized knowledge to write your handbook, so it protects you instead of endangering you.