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:
- Businesses are legally required to issue their staff with employee handbooks;
- 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…