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As a craft brewer, your focus is on making the best beer possible.  However, being a craft brewer means you are also a small business owner, which means that you also have to focus on managing a successful business.  As your brewery grows, it will inevitably lead to hiring employees.  Being an employer can be incredibly rewarding, as the right employees can become valuable assets to your business.

However, becoming an employer can also be scary at times because having employees presents risks.  One of the keys to being a successful employer - having happy employees and limiting your liability - is the employee handbook.  Whether you have one or one hundred employees, an employee handbook is a necessity.  Employee handbooks reduce the inherent risks presented by having employees.  This handbook will present and document the necessary policies and procedures that will set a standard for each and every individual employed by your business.

One of the most relevant examples of the importance of employee handbooks is harassment. Today, all businesses must have anti-harassment policies.  To not have such policies is akin to not having any business insurance. The employee handbook presents a perfect place for your anti-harassment policies, as well as other key policies and procedures you need your employees to know and understand. You should consider the employee handbook as the cornerstone of your relationship with your employees. It will serve as a policy and procedure resource, as well as the foundation of the culture you want your brewery to embody.

If you find yourself in need of assistance in protecting your small business, contact the experts at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna today.