What To Include in an Employee Handbook
Do you have an employee handbook? If not, it’s time to create one. These documents provide essential details about employees’ rights, responsibilities, and guidelines within your company.
While employee contracts set the stage for the start and end of employment, handbooks fill in the pieces for day-to-day employment.
Do not try to write a 100-page handbook as a start. Get started with the basics:
Start With a Solid Introduction
Begin by creating an introduction that provides an overview of your company. Highlight company values, mission, and culture, as these are the backbone of your organization.
The introduction is also a good place to include an organizational chart as an easy reference for employees. Staff can refer to this chart to understand who to contact with specific questions or requests.
Many of the employees reading the handbook will be new hires. The introduction should welcome new employees and set the tone for the rest of the manual. Perhaps include a welcome letter from the CEO or a personal thank you to employees for joining the company.
Cover Essential Employment Policies
Your employee handbook should clearly define specific policies and protocols that apply to staff, such as:
Leave and time-off policies
Employee schedules
Health and safety protocols
Anti-discrimination policies
Employee Code of Conduct guidelines
Workplace technology usage policies
Dedicate sections of the handbook to each of these topics. Describe them comprehensively so everyone in your organization can stay on the same page. The more descriptive your policies are in the handbook, the less time your HR staff will have to spend answering questions.
Detail Employee Rights and Benefits
The employee handbook shouldn’t just describe the rules for working at your business. It should also clearly explain what employees can expect to gain in return.
Outline benefits information within the handbook: While compensation can vary from employee to employee, benefits should stay relatively consistent across staff. Describe healthcare, retirement, overtime, PTO, and all other benefits so employees can quickly reference these topics. Don’t forget to include contact information for any employer-sponsored health insurance plans.
Clearly define employee rights: Use the handbook to define employee rights within your organization, such as the right to workers’ compensation, the termination process, and anti-harassment protocols.
Outline Employee Growth and Professional Development Measures
Providing opportunities for professional development is an important step in retaining employees. Your handbook should outline these opportunities from the start to instill confidence in new hires.
Spend time describing protocols around the following topics:
The frequency of performance evaluations
How management determines raises
Procedures for promoting employees to new roles
Expectations for employee growth and development over time
Milestones you expect employees to meet
Need Help Creating Your Employee Handbook?
Knowing what to include in an employee handbook is important to creating a comprehensive document that facilitates a positive workplace and encourages retention. Do you need help developing an employee handbook or managing other HR tasks? 45 Solutions can fill this need by providing fractional HR consulting and talent acquisition services.
Put the human back in HR with 45 Solutions. Contact us today at (215) 828-1404 to schedule a meeting with our team.
