These questions are being answered by Learn HR, a market leader in the provision of HR and payroll training and nationally-recognised professional qualifications.
Q: Is the employment handbook that we issue part of the contract of employment?
A: I don’t know. If the handbook or the contract of employment or statement of particulars says that it is, then it is. If any of them says that it is not, then it is not. And if there is no mention of the status, then none of us knows. I suspect that your handbook contains a mixture of contractual and non-contractual information, therefore you should make clear which is which, either by classifying each item or by separating the information into sections and indicating clearly the status of each section.
Section one might contain contractually binding information such as what the employee must do if they are too sick to come to work. Section two might contain the rules of the organisation that are non-contractual and can therefore be amended easily. And section three might contain details of fringe benefits such as catering facilities that are not part of the contract.
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