BUSINESS TIP –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Mapeguard UM is a light- weight, waterproofing and vapor pressure-equalizing underlay- ment membrane from MAPEI. It provides crack suppression for use under ceramic tile and stone installations, for both residential and commercial applications. Mapeguard UM is designed to perform over challenging sub- strates, such as young concrete and single-layer 3/4” (19 mm) plywood sub- floors with joist spac- ing of up to 19.2” (49 cm) on center. The unique engi- neered tri-lay- ered design of Mapeguard UM absorbs lateral stress from the sub- strate without transferring this force to the tile or stone, which maintains exceptional bonds. www.mapei.com. that prohibit unlawful employment practices and explain to employees what to do if they are harassed or discriminated against and how to report such conduct. Ensuring your employees sign an acknowledge- ment form when they receive the handbook and any updates can sig- nificantly improve your chances of avoiding liability. A comprehensive, carefully devel- oped employee handbook can be a valuable resource, providing impor- tant information about an organiza- tion’s history, mission, values, and culture, as well policies, proce- dures, and benefits. Consulting with an employment attorney is the best way to make sure you are covering all of the bases. Company- and industry-specific No two companies are the same, even in the same industry. The employer who uses cookie-cutter or off-the-shelf handbook templates to craft a handbook takes an unnec- essary risk. First, templates rarely cover all of the topics that may be important to your business and typi- cally do not address specific state laws and regulations. For example, many states have recently passed laws regulating whether (and under what circumstances) employees may store firearms in vehicles parked on company property. Even if an off- the-shelf handbook covers this issue, it likely will not cover the law spe- cific to your state (or states, if your business operates in more than one). 30 TileLetter | June 2017