Hybrid Consult

Employee Handbook is an important workplace document which defines the rights, obligations and expectations of the parties to a contract of employment. Employee Handbook, sometimes referred to as the “constitution” of the workplace, contains important terms and conditions of employment, and further communicates and reinforces workplace policies, procedures, rules and regulations. It is a blueprint for internal conducts and it also reflects the organisation’s culture and values. It is an important reference resource in employer-employee relations.

The importance of an Employee Handbook at the workplace cannot be over emphasised. Our Courts have also consistently held that the provisions of Employee Handbook are binding, and as such it is important that every employer gets it right.
A company with a well structured and professionally developed Employee Handbook avoids workplace conflicts including unnecessary employment related litigation and its attendant waste of time, energy, scarce resources and sometimes very embarrassing consequences. Employment related litigation exposes the company not only to avoidable costs, but also reputational risks.

In most employment litigations, especially in matters relating to wrongful terminations and dismissals, redundancies, severance & terminal benefits, suspensions, discipline and disciplinary procedures, recourse is often had to the provisions of the company’s Employee Handbook by the National Industrial Court in deciding the cases. Poorly worded policies, including absence of policies on important workplace matters are recipe for mutual suspicions and distrusts, employees’ relations conflicts, with attendant adverse impacts on productivity and profitability. Similarly, unaddressed policy issues create an atmosphere of inconsistencies, uncertainties, conflicts, discriminatory practices and human resources managers employing different policies ‘as the spirit directs’. With the increasing rise of employment litigations, having a professionally designed, and regularly reviewed Employee Handbook is an important legal risk management strategy. Although many policies are standard across a variety of industries, every Employee Handbook should be tailored to meet the peculiar needs and concerns of the business.

It is not sufficient to have an Employee Handbook. Same must be regularly audited, reviewed and updated to bring the organisation into compliance with the relevant labour laws and best practices in the increasingly changing world of work. Nigerian labour laws are not only complex, but also continue to evolve. While some Nigerian labour legislations have been amended, a few have been repealed and replaced with new ones. Recent caselaws from the National Industrial Court is also reinforcing and expounding the frontiers of international best practices in labour and employment matters. Hence the need to have the Employee Handbook periodically reviewed and updated.

The current Covid-19 pandemic and its attendant adverse implications for businesses have also made the need to review company’s Employee Handbooks and the general HR processes more compelling. The Covid-19 pandemic has taught business owners, employers of labour and their Human Resources Advisors new lessons in business crisis management. It has now become very important for every corporate organisation to carry out a review its HR documentations to ensure that appropriate force majeure clauses, flexible work arrangements including remote working policy are now incorporated therein. These documentations include templates contracts of employment, Employee Handbook, Expatriate Policy, Collective Bargaining Agreements and Service Level Agreements executed with labour contractors and other service providers. It is against this background that this seminar is conceived. The participants will be exposed to the fundamentals of developing a suitable Employee Handbook for their companies and organisations, including important things to watch out for during subsequent reviews. The seminar will be interactive and case studies based.

COVERAGE

Compensation for death, injury, occupational diseases and other hazards under the Act

Compensation for mental stress under the Act

Obligations of employers, independent contractors and sub-contractors under the Act

The Roles of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) under the Act

Limitation of Actions and the Right to Subrogation under the Act

Right of Appeal under the Act

COVERAGE

Developing Employee Handbook : Some important Preliminary Considerations

Developing Employee Handbook: A Practical Guide

Designing Employee Handbook: Some important Clauses

Enforceability of Employee Handbook

The “Copycat” and “Cut and Paste” Syndrome and its attendant problems

Relationship between Employee Handbook, Contracts of Employment & Collective Bargaining Agreements

Emerging HR and Workplace Policies Considerations

Employee Handbook Review: Some important Legal & Policy Considerations

Important Post Covid-19 HR process Audit and Reviews

DATE : September 3rd, 2021

TIME : 10am – 2pm

DELIVERY MODULE : Online Delivery

DURATION : 4 Hours (2 Sessions of 2 Hours each)

Click here to see Calendar

FEES: N20,000 per participant (net of all taxes)

(Fees cover only lectures, soft copy of course materials & Certificate of Participation)
For enquiries and registration, please contact:
HYBRID CONSULT
(Research, Training & Consultancy)
2A Alade close, off Adeniran Ogunsanya street. P.O.Box 2214, Surulere , Lagos.
Tel: 01-2911955, 08066192650
E-mail: info@hybridconsults.com,
hybridconsult@yahoo.com, training@hybridconsults.com