The metaphorical unicorn that this employee never saw

The metaphorical unicorn that this employee never saw.

I was talking to a friend the other day, and she was probing me about human resources-related stuff (occupational hazard!).

One of the things she was keen to know was whether there was a legal requirement for an employer to have a handbook that they gave to their staff.

I asked her why she was so interested, and I was pretty surprised by her answer:

“Because I was given my contract, which refers to the handbook a lot. So I asked the Office Manager for a copy of this handbook. He said I should think of it like a magical handbook.”

As you can imagine, I was a little bit confused by this, so she elaborated…

Apparently the Office Manager had told her that the handbook was like a unicorn: everyone knows what it is, but no one has ever seen it in real life!

Now there are a couple of problems with this:

  1. Businesses are legally required to issue their staff with employee handbooks;
  2. This business had flat out lied to their employee.

It is just not-on for businesses to try and pull a fast one, or in this case, a magical one, over their employees, and a bit pointless, as the handbook protects the employer, not the employee.

Have you got a ‘magical handbook’? Best magic one into reality if you have…

The metaphorical unicorn that this employee never saw

 

 

 

 

 

 

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