What To Write In An Employee Handbook

Every company should have an employee handbook. Unfortunately, even in companies that use them, some employees would not read them. According to Careercafe, 43% of millennials need not read the whole handbook, based on GuideSpark data. Worse, 11% do not even open the handbook.

So, how do you avoid this scenario and ensure that all of your employees read? By properly writing the employee handbook. Let's take a look at nine beneficial hints in this article. But first, consider why your company requires an employee handbook in the first place.

 

The Value of Creating an Employee Handbook

The employee handbook contains all the information an employee must understand about working for the company. It does more than just explain the company's policies and procedures. It also reflects the most recent labour laws and social norms that all employees and the company must follow.

Paycor lists eight reasons why a company should have an employee handbook:

• It introduces employees to the organization's culture, mission, and values.

• It informs employees of what is expected of them.

• It informs employees about what to expect from management.

• It clearly communicates company policies.

• It highlights the advantages that the company provides.

• It ensures that federal and state laws are followed.

• It facilitates the defence of employee claims.

• That is where employees can seek assistance.

In other words, companies should prepare for lack of organisation and clarity in the workplace if they do not have an employee handbook.

 

9 Ways to Improve the Effectiveness of Your Employee Handbook

So you've made the decision to create an employee handbook. Let's take a look at nine tips to encourage your employees to read it in this section.

 

1. Keep It Simple and Interesting

Let's be honest. Employee manuals can be tedious. Most companies missions and visions aren't particularly exciting. Unless you have a legal background, you're unlikely to get past the first few lines of the federal and state employment law section.

Then, to improve readability, mix things up a little. Introduce your employee handbook in a creative and fun way. Your employee handbook does not have to be solemn or full of legalese. Use engaging and simple language to ensure that all of the most complex concepts are acknowledged by your employees.

 

2. Make Your Handbook a Tool for Communication

You should use your employee handbook to share information with them. In other words, don't just stuff it with legal language and your company's mission and vision statements. Use it to reach out to your employees and explain what you perceive from them - and what they can demand from you.

Make your employee handbook appear authoritarian. Instead, treat your employees as adults who are partners in your company's success. Allow your employees to know that management is there for them but must also do their part.

Make it clear that, while the handbook is there to help, employees can always come to you with any concerns or clarifications.

 

3. Take note of the format and visuals

Employee handbooks do not have to be just text blocks. You can also include images and illustrations to help illustrate concepts. You could also put them on the cover to get your employees' attention right away. Doing so will improve the readability of your employee handbook. According to Forbes, 91% of people prefer visual to text-based content.

Images aren't the only method for making your employee handbook more readable. Make liberal use of headings, subheadings, bullet points, and paragraph breaks. They will make your handbook easier to read and skim. Employees will have no trouble finding a specific section of the handbook if they are looking for it.

 

4. Mention Work Hours, Compensation, and Benefits Clearly

The employee handbook of a company should be written for the employees. That means you should include everything they require to know to be productive in the organisation in that handbook. This includes pay and benefits, working hours, and leave allowance.

You must be as specific as possible. For example, if employees are paid by the hour and their work hours are determined by an employee time clock app, state so. Explain, however, if they are salaried and expected to work certain core hours each day.

The more particular you are in your employee handbook about these issues, the healthier for your employees.

 

5. Analyze your company culture and how employees can contribute to it. 

The same thing as company culture, according to Builtin, is the "set of shared values, goals, attitudes, and practices that characterise an organisation." In other words, it is the shared ethos of your company.

Don't leave it up to your employees to figure out exactly what the company culture is. You must explicitly explain the company's fundamental values that motivate all workplace actions in your employee handbook.

For Facebook, for example, that core value is "be bold." That is demonstrated by the way they push things towards the limit with their developments on social media platform, even when some of them backfire. "We do the right thing, period," Uber says. And that was evident when the company parted ways with its former CEO, Travis Kalanick, following a shareholder revolt.

You can make the orientation and training process for new hires easier by explaining the company culture in the handbook. There are also ways to entice new employees to your company culture. Your clear and specific statements about your company will also serve as a reminder to current employees as they work.

 

6. Mention Legal Concerns

Your employee handbook should include any legal information that your employees must be aware of. It should include a section explaining specific laws that may be applicable to them in the future. These include equal employment and non-discrimination laws, anti-harassment laws, and workers' compensation laws, according to Square Up. Some states specify the specific legal content that must be contained in your handbook. It should also include potential real-world scenarios to demonstrate the concepts in action.

It is best not to attempt to create this section on your own. Consult a lawyer before or after you write them. Remember that your employees own a copy of the handbook and will use it as a reference.

The handbook also demonstrates the official stance of the company. Employees who believe the company has wronged them can always come back and use it to sue you if they document a legal complaint.

Many businesses make mistakes in their handbooks and take them lightly. Employees bookmark the handbook and refer to it frequently. As a result, it is critical that you address errors and inform all employees.

In the event that such errors are made, schedule and send emails to all employees at an appropriate time. As an HR professional, you must ensure that every employee recognises the error in the current handbook and receives an updated copy via email.

 

7. Mention Employee Recognition

The employee handbook should include information about the company's programmes for model employees. Great workplace cultures are built on employee recognition programmes. If it is clear from the start that the company recognises and rewards its model employees, new hires will be motivated to put their all at work from day one.

The employee handbook should also define what constitutes exceptional performance. Assume the company prioritises efficiency above all else and regards the employee schedule template as sacred.

In that case, it will not hesitate to recognise an employee who follows their work schedule religiously for an entire year. Employees in another company may be allowed to set their own hours and be evaluated solely on output.

 

Here's an illustration:

 

Source: University of North Carolina handbook

 

Model employees can be rewarded in a variety of ways. They can be monetary or in-kind, such as an overseas trip, extra leave time, or a gift card. Whatever your incentives are, you must specify how an employee can obtain them. Rewarding your employees will propel them forward!

 

8. Allow for Room for Improvement

Your work does not end when you complete the employee handbook. This is due to the fact that as your company grows, so will the way you continue to do business and your company practices. That means you'd have to update your handbook to reflect the changes.

Arrange a continuous evaluation of your employee handbook to ensure that it is always up to date. Once a year is sufficient, but more common reviews may be required depending on the rate of change in your company.

When revising, take the opportunity to review any laws that may have changed. Laws are not permanent and can be amended or revised at any time. Just make sure to consult with a lawyer again to avoid mistakes.
 

9. Provide Feedback To An Employee

It's always a good idea to give the company employee handbook to a group of your employees for suggestions after you've finished it. They are the best people to tell you if the handbook is understandable and if the user experience is good or needs to be improved.

Employees can also provide feedback on the content of the handbook. Remember that you wrote the handbook from the standpoint of management. That implies that some of what you wrote was slanted toward management. Some employee concerns might have been overlooked, even if you had no intention of doing so.

Employee feedback can help you determine whether a handbook is ready for wider distribution.

 

Keynote

Employee handbooks are essential for any company. They make certain that everyone in the organisation is on the same page and striving toward the same objectives. Employee handbooks are also useful for both managers and employees. They keep the company's processes uniform and organised.

Employee handbooks cannot be rushed because they are so important. You must give careful consideration to what you write. You must consider your target audience's needs and desires, as well as those of management and the company's goals.

If you follow all of my advice, you'll have a one-of-a-kind employee handbook.

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