The following topics are considered essential in every employee handbook:

Welcome to the Church:

• Letter from the Pastor
• Brief history of the church
• Mission and vision statement

Rules and Procedures:

Working hours
Lunch periods and breaks
Holidays, vacations and sick leave
Family and medical leave
Disability accommodation requests
Jury duty
Military leave
Personal calls/mail/e-mail
Personal use of church equipment
Theft and dishonesty
Misconduct and insubordination
Use of illegal drugs and alcohol on the job
Smoking in restricted areas
Dress code
Policy on sexual harassment and discrimination
Employee privacy

Employment Policies:

Probationary periods
Performance evaluations
Promotions and transfers
Seniority
Terminations and resignations

Compensation:

Pay procedures
Payroll deductions
Performance bonuses
Overtime payments
Salary increases
Expense reimbursement
Severance pay

Benefits:

Health, life, disability and other insurance
Pension and retirement plans
Workers’ compensation

Safety and Health:

General safety rules
Reporting job-related accidents

Your handbook should include a statement that each employee must sign to acknowledge responsibility for receiving, reading, understanding and agreeing to abide by your organization’s rules. Keep the signed statement in the employee’s personnel file. Your statement could read as follows:

I hereby acknowledge receipt of the company handbook.

I certify that I have read and fully understand the rules and procedures contained in it. I acknowledge my full responsibility to follow them faithfully in all that I have read and fully understand the rules and procedures contained in it. I acknowledge my full responsibility to follow them faithfully in all respects.

Clergy Financial Resources serves as a resource for clients to help analyze the complexity of clergy tax law, church payroll & HR issues. Our professionals are committed to helping clients stay informed about tax news, developments and trends in various specialty areas.

This article is intended to provide readers with guidance in tax matters. The article does not constitute, and should not be treated as professional advice regarding the use of any particular tax technique. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information. Clergy Financial Resources and the author do not assume responsibility for any individual’s reliance upon the information provided in the article. Readers should independently verify all information before applying it to a particular fact situation, and should independently determine the impact of any particular tax planning technique. If you are seeking legal advice, you are encouraged to consult an attorney.

For more information or if you need additional assistance, please use the contact information below.

Clergy Financial Resources
11214 86th Avenue N.
Maple Grove, MN 55369

Tel: (888) 421-0101 
Fax: (888) 876-5101
Email: clientservices@clergyfinancial.com