employee handbook disclaimer

Does an Employee Handbook Create an Employment Contract?

Employee handbooks play a key role in the workplace. They lay out the rules employees need to follow and are meant to make sure everyone knows what is expected, which helps your workplace run smoothly.

Before you share your handbook with employees, there’s a big question you must answer: Could your handbook create legally binding employment contracts? This is an important question with serious implications. If your handbook can be deemed a promise for employment, then you could be liable for all sorts of things that you don’t expect.

The answer to whether a handbook could be considered a contract varies depending on how the handbook is worded and the laws in the specific location. However, there are some general guidelines you can follow to avoid your risks here.

Let’s dive into these issues, with explanations and insights into why the status of employee handbooks as contracts is a significant matter for everyone in the workplace. 

How to Write a Disclaimer for Your Employee Handbook

This article is designed to familiarize you with how to create a disclaimer for your employee handbook. Although it is quite comprehensive, it does not cover 100% of all situations you may find yourself in.

We want you to enjoy reading this article, and a big part of that is making sure it’s a good fit for you and for us. With that in mind, your time here is at-will, meaning you can browse to another website at any time, and we can shut down this blog at any time, with or without cause or prior notice. Reading this article does not form a contract between you and Blissbook, express or implied, although we’d be happy to make that happen.

People are indeed the worst.

Your company’s employee handbook should have a successful and effective disclaimer. If you have any questions, please contact us.

We are not liable if the information herein is TOO helpful in helping you craft a bulletproof yet culture-first disclaimer for your employee handbook.

Is this joke getting old yet? 😄 Let’s talk about your employee handbook disclaimer! A handbook disclaimer protects your company! It:

  • Ensures employees know your handbook is not 100% comprehensive
  • Informs employees how to get help with any of your handbook’s content
  • Reiterates employees’ at-will status
  • Makes it clear that your handbook isn’t an employment contract
  • Emphasizes that the policies within are subject to change
  • Renders all other versions obsolete

In this article, we’ll talk about why disclaimers are important, what your disclaimer should — and shouldn’t — include, and how to create an effective disclaimer for your employee handbook.