Make sure your veterinary employee handbook is up to par

Before creating an employee handbook, there a few key things to keep in mind. One of them is making sure all of the policies are legal, says Brandon Hess, CVPM, CCFP, associate consultant at practice management consulting company VetSupport. Hess recommends you work with a state labor law attorney to review your employee handbook.

At this year's Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference (ACVC), Hess also shared with dvm360 some of the illegal employee handbook policies he's seen regarding social media.

“Some of the most common things I see in employee handbooks that are currently illegal is telling an employee what they can and cannot do on social media," he said. "That's their personal platform."

“You're not able to say you can't ever speak poorly about the practice on social media. That's actually protected under the National Labor Relations Act, and [that] protects an employee's ability and right to voice concerns about the workplace.”

In the video, he also explains why it's important to update your veterinary practice's employee handbook every two years.