Its important to create an employee handbook as soon as you have a mission statement and know what information youre required to share or want to share with your employees. This section helps you keep employees well-informed in this matter. Ive also included premade employee handbook templates and lots of employee handbook examples. As the company grows, having a source of truth regarding processes, codes of conduct, and behaviors becomes integral to preventing and extinguishing conflict. Its tone is very conservational making it easy to relate to. Download. But providing your new hires with an employee handbook early on in their employment (think: first day) is a great way to make sure that the employee has all of the necessary information and also has a resource to constantly refer back to if they have any questions. Sometimes known as an employee manual, staff handbook, company policy manual or even a culture code, employee handbooks are given to new hires after their acceptance of an offer letter. An important item to include alongside your equal opportunities and harassment policies is your grievances procedure. In many employee handbook examples, such as this one, the key policy dates or whatever are highlighted in a box that is a different color. Hire faster with 1,000+ templates like job descriptions, interview questions and more. Watch: Everything you need to know about icons (in less than 3 minutes). Using AirMason, Hubspot's employee handbook keeps the reader engaged while being effective in getting its companies message across. Smartly Trello made their employee manual using their own product, a web-based project management app. #5 - Company Employee Handbook. It contains relevant information about the company and it serves as a reference for any employees who have questions about the policies and procedures of the company. Argentina Australia Belgi (Nederlands) Belgique (Franais) Brasil Canada (English) Canada (Franais) Deutschland Espaa France Hong Kong India Ireland An employees signature on an employee handbook will show that they acknowledge the company's policy and agree to abide by them. Learn about fair compensation and how it can improve hiring and retention rates. Put simply, you should update your employee handbook every time something within your workplace changes. Think about the presentation of your handbook - take your time with the layout and format making sure to engage employees visually. An employee handbook can be crucial in building a positive workplace culture and employee loyalty, but theyre not easy to write. You should save the practical information such as how to request for your remote month, and what the working remotely expectations are, in the policy manual. An employee handbook can even save time during employee induction periods, where a lot of information must be discussed. Most employee handbooks are living documents, meaning they're regularly updated to reflect changes to industry regulations, labor laws or company policy. What is the difference between an employee handbook and a policy manual? Check out our otherresourcesfor managing global teams, orbook a demoto see how we can help you and your team grow. How do people fit into the idea of 'emorational' decisions? An employee handbook provides an introduction of your company to new hires, so use it to communicate your mission and values. You will need a firm understanding of your companys foundation, mission, core values, employment law requirements, and more. From outlining your company mission statement to policies and expectations, an employee handbook makes things clearer for employees and owners alike. With the Venngage My Brand Kit tool, Business users can upload their company fonts, color palettes, and logos and see them instantly applied to their employee handbook template. It is very extensive and includes future policies about how they plan to scale, which is expected from such a large and fast growing company. An employee handbook will allow your company to be open about how you respond to harassment, discrimination, favouritism and nepotism in the workplace. Thats why were breaking down the process for you and offering you 7 employee handbook examples. What are some strategies to manage employees who work virtually? It should be more than just an overview of company policies.. Small businesses power the economy. If you include anything to do with employment law in your own employee handbook, it is best to build a flexibility clause into the handbook. Employee Handbooks SHRM offers two options for creating an Employee Handbook for your company: a free sample template, or a premium, customizable online service. Get Contact Info for All Departments. The merge request feature enables anyone to suggest improvements or add clarifications, and the issues option is for asking questions. What is an employee handbook? Laura Sands, Manage, develop & retain talent with HR software that helps your business grow, Keep holiday management simple & stress-free, Take the stress out of managing your employee holiday calendar, Track absences with valuable data at your fingertips, Record sicknesses in seconds & monitor absence trends, Keep everything in one place & see your HR tasks at a glance, Dig deeper into your HR data with powerful reports, Recognise achievements, promote growth & drive productivity, Breeze through your HR workload with an overview of tasks, Keep track of whos working where & manage office capacity, Export payroll-ready data & save valuable time on admin, Store HR documents safely in the cloud with unlimited storage, Keep sensitive data safe & leave filing cabinets behind, Record overtime in a few clicks & manage important projects, Seamlessly integrate Breathe with software you use everyday, Leave paper in the past and say hello to the new, smarter way to schedule shifts, Submit, approve & report all in one, easy-to-use tool, Publish new vacancies, collect applications & shortlist candidates, Upskill your team & educate your people on important topics, Intuitive timesheet software designed especially for SMEs, Effortlessly record when your team start & finish their shifts, Manage your personnel budget the easy way, Simple employee self-service with the Breathe - People Portal mobile app, Enjoy seamless scheduling & team communication, Around-the-clock visibility of who's working & when, Simple scheduling software. An employee handbook is a collection of documents, HR policies, procedures and guidelines that explain how your workplace functions for employees. Thus, while a list of rules of conduct and a summary of benefits are important information, you should evaluate your handbook on its ability to help your organization meet its objectives. With Breathes HR software all your company's important files are securely stored in one instantly accessible place. They can use this section as a resource to fall back on whenever they have basic questions. Using consistent fonts across your brand is one of the easiest ways to create professional looking designs. In a nutshell, a well-thought-out employee handbook makes it easy to answer any questions an employee may have, including summaries of all company policies. Why should your business have a staff handbook? Of course if you have brand fonts it is important to use them. In other countries like the US, however, no federal or state regulations require an employer to have an employee handbook. Connect with her on LinkedIn! 17 Essential Human Resources Poster Templates (Updated) The employee handbook is typically provided to new hires. Employee handbooks are basically manuals containing an employer's work rules and policies used to communicate these rules and policies to employees. Regular fitted pants worn at or near the waistline. It is an essential resource so it is important to get it right. Find the best grocery store deals near you at you local Save A Lot. Outline workplace expectations for all employees including workplace ethics, behaviour and performance. How do I know if I'm supporting the basic human needs of my people? Close Wolters Kluwer Navigation It outlines what to expect when going through these processes and what are the relevant actions they need to take. Netflixs employee handbookis particularly worth mentioning because it clearly defines company culture and principles while making them actionable. Heres an outline of the contents: You can use the conclusion to provide notice about future revisions and ask employees to acknowledge they read the handbook. Its about ethics and trust and building a safe and professional space for everyone. This is where examples come in. What are some workforce trends I should be aware of as I plan for 2023? A break out box is an excellent way to highlight the most important information on a page. Blues and greens can feel cool or serene. New and small businesses in particular often neglect to produce an employee handbook. Youll never lose a document againand nor will your employees! I want to start providing 401(k)s to my employees. The tasks and to-do cards breaks down the different policies and sections. Making sure everybody is on the same page about expectations, policies, and culture from the beginning is a great way to kickstart the onboarding process. An employee handbook is a document created by Human Resources. We keep detailed records of our company cars with manufacturing date and mileage. All content is available on the global site. Heres what should be included in an employee handbook; our template covers every important policy of an employee manual: If you need to work only on specific parts of your handbook, click on each of the following sections to download them separately. Effortless payroll. It is also a road map for employees, clearly outlining what behaviors and work patterns are acceptable to the company. Access all our Free calculators, helping you save time. What is included in an employee handbook? When joining your company, they want to learn how they can divide their time between work and leisure or out-of-work responsibilities. Step 1: Write the outline of your employee handbook 2023 PeopleGoal, Inc. All rights reserved. Once you have selected what to include, you can lay out a table of contents. Learn More Stronger Together A Portfolio For Success Houchens' CEO, Dion Houchins explains what makes Houchens Industries unique and the benefits of being an employee-owned company. It should also be clear, concise, and contain the company's: While there are no direct laws enforcing the use of an employee handbook, there are some state laws requiring you to inform your employees of their workplace rights. Your company should aim to limit employee turnover. If a dispute or conflict arises, you can refer to the handbook to confirm whether a team member has acted out of line and find an appropriate resolution or consequence. The employment policies of the salon employment handbook are designed to protect new applicants from undue prejudice. This has led to a huge number of our employees staying with us for many years and have actively used, been rewarded or taken part in many of the benefits, extras and memberships we tell you about. If your business fails to keep your employee handbook updated to reflect necessary changes, it can place your business at risk of cultural disruption and worse, litigation. Use our employee handbook template to: Share important company information during onboarding. Cinnamon Janzer is a journalist and content writer based in Minneapolis. This will include guidance on workplace ethics and expected behaviour. Close your employee handbook on a positive note though. So, start building your employee handbook today! This means that the handbook can offer both legal and non-legal value, through covering these rights and mitigating any potential conflict within the company by clearly stating the expectations and protocols from day one. If you opt out of these cookies, we cant get feedback to make Venngage better for you and all our users. A lot of . Type Industry Role Employee Handbooks 10 MarketingHub Employee Handbook Create a stunning resource for your new employees using this employee handbook template. Call us for free initial advice on 1300 651 415. Venngage offers a variety of fully customizable employee handbook templates for you to use. Your handbook should explain how employees clock in for shifts. Keep your employees in mind by highlighting the most important information foremost. Companies could use this one-rule approach as a starting point and elaborate from there. This is the case in Japan, France, and Belgium. Employee self-service and seamless Benefits management. If youre creating your very first employee handbook, or updating your existing one, read on. Employers should not underestimate the value of maintaining the employee handbook. South African car subscription service Planet42 raises $100M equity, debt. Once youve carefully crafted your employee handbook, its time to get it seen. Cookies and similar technologies collect certain information about how youre using our website. What actually is a handbook for employees? Time and Attendance. 6 min read| Using fonts like a pro can seem overwhelming but just remember: Most decorative to least decorative = headers to body. Tage Kene-Okafor. Next we cover the fundamentals of employee handbooks, plus offer 7 handbook examples you can learn from. We created a Leaving our company template to address relevant issues. Ask them what they think the most important thing to communicate to new hires would be. Valve's handbook is a go to example shown by it going viral in 2012. Save A Lot . It is very extensive and includes future policies about how they plan to scale, which is expected from such a large and fast growing company. Using your table of contents, create a blank page in your document for each section and add the section header (check the employee handbook example below). Disqus' culture book has a great balance between legal policies and company culture, starting with the legal stuff, like employment law. An employee handbook template is very important in companies, organizations, and businesses. Planet42, a South Africa-based car subscription company that buys . In this example the color palette is very simple, just whites, greys, and a pop of green, which looks modern and clean. Shows your commitment to addressing and removing harassment and discrimination from your workplace. The employee handbook outlines the companys code of conduct, so that employees know which behaviors are acceptable and which ones are not. It's a document that communicates your company's culture, expectations and rules of employment. We'll worry about keeping . In doing so, employee handbooks help to establish a culture where issues can be dealt with fairly and consistently. Step 1: Write the outline of your employee handbook, Step 2: Design your employee handbook using a template, Step 3: Compile all of the information you have gathered into your employee handbook, Step 4: Share your finished employee handbook, layer icons on top of each other to create a scene, 17 Essential Human Resources Poster Templates (Updated), 12 Effective Performance Review Examples [+ Tips From an HR Manager], Office information and main office contact details. #1 - Employee Onboarding Handbook. These standards defined in the employee handbook can then be used when approaching an employee for disciplinary action or dismissal. Existing employees should get a copy of the handbook each time it is updated. Read More Recent News Try to use your company's products or services as your employee handbook. Keeping your employee handbook up to date is critical to the well-being of your company. Your employee handbook should outline that this is the case and should clearly explain that it is a disciplinary offence. We picked these sections because they're valid for small business owners in all 50 US states. Purpose of Employee Handbooks. It is simple yet effective with short sentences and no playful humour unlike some of the other strong handbook. 9. Other companies are opting for. However, this can easily lead to miscommunication, confusion, and chaos. SHRM offers two options. Tip: Use rich visuals and a little bit of humour to keep your employees engaged like Hubspot. Here are ten tips for developing an effective employee handbook in 2021. Youll outline how you expect employees to treat others, whether theyre colleagues, partners, customers or external stakeholders. It is comprehensive but spaced out to promote digestibility, and also contains a humorous tone with jokes and puns throughout. . Go through your blank employee handbook filling out information and adding sections. They help a company outline workplace expectations, giving employees a defined structure to work from. Keep in mind, though, that examples are just that. Not only that, this handy document can help foster a positive workplace culture and, on occasion, help you out legally. This should include: A clear code of conduct section will help you in those difficult conversations with an employee who is not meeting requirements, allowing you to refer back to it for support. . How to create an effective employee handbook. Hire better with the best hiring how-to articles in the industry. It states your legal obligations as an employer and the rights of your employees. They help a company outline workplace expectations, giving employees a defined structure to work from. 3 May, 2021 Ideally, every employee should be introduced to the employee handbook on their first day during theonboarding processand have easy access to the document throughout their time at the company. When a new employee starts at an organisation in a new role . To work on your own Code of Conduct, use our complete template which includes the following sections: This part explains how you pay and reward employees for their work and help them develop. For example, in your employee handbook you will tell your employees that they can work remotely for one month each (one of the perks at Venngage! Valve also explains its hierarchy which is flat allowing its employee's to pick their projects, which this modern approach to work is supported by Valves slightly "off-beat" approach to its handbook. The very best employee handbooks serve as the living, breathing embodiment of a company's internal culture. Motley Fools's "fool rules" is innovative interactive handbook complete with photos, videos, and links for further reading. Its full of personality using color to bring its messages to life. Ideally, every employee should be introduced to the employee handbook on their first day during the onboarding process and have easy access to the document throughout their time at the company. So, including it as part of the handbook makes a lot of sense. While they can serve as inspiration, your own employee handbook needs to reflect the characteristics of your company, including personality, norms, and legal requirements. The terminology should be familiar to your audience and easy to understand. A health and safety policy will include information on who their health and safety reps are, risk assessments and the health and safety equipment. It makes them feel appreciated and apart of a team as well as reducing employee turnover. We know theyre not simple to create. When it comes to employee handbooks, just complying with the law is the bare minimum you should be aiming for. An employee handbook is sometimes called an employee field guide or a staff manual. They are a great way to demonstrate how you are committed to tackling indirect and direct discrimination in the workplace. Streling's culture code also uses a slide share to successfully get across a lot of information. You could even create your employee handbook as an interactive PDF and interlink between documents and websites, to make it easy for your employees to find all of the specific documents and sites that you reference within the handbook. A good way to make sure you dont miss anything is to use colors to indicate when a section still needs work, like in this employee handbook example: At the end of the day, creating an in-depth and updated handbook is a collaborative process. Diversity and equal opportunities. It should provide staff with information on how they should communicate issues of harassment, discrimination, absence and other human resource matters. It should also include your equality policies. The ultimate guide to recruiting & onboarding for SMEs, Access over 600 HR consultants nationwide, Registered in England, Company Number 3020608, Copyright 2023 Centurion, all rights reserved. A good handbook addresses Standards of Conduct, Performance Expectations, Evaluation processes, Attendance standards, Open Door and Concern Resolution processes, Zero Tolerance for Harassment or Discrimination, Confidentiality requirements, establishes your "at-will" relationship, and specifies other day to day, on-the-job responsibilities for 1:05 AM PST February 22, 2023. Hubspot also puts its handbook on SlideShare, demonstrating its commitment to transparency. For this reason, creating an employee handbook should be non-negotiable. This could include clauses that protect employees from discrimination and only hire or dismiss employees based on merit and work performance. We have employees from all around to world, so we wanted to make somethingreadable, digestible and entertaining - Fisher (CEO). If there is complex information, consider adding a glossary to define concepts or terms. Employee handbooks can act as an introduction to a company, answering common questions and concerns and setting the tone for the rest of the professional engagement. Read our Employee handbook sample here . It also lists what employees can expect from the employer. Employee Onboarding Checklists: What to Include, 10 Ways to Prepare for an Employees First Day, Use It or Lose It Paid Time Off vs. Flex Time, 6 Tips for Crafting an Employee Dating Policy, 5 Example PTO Policies From Actual Small Business Owners. It states explicit expectations on usage and behaviour of the companies devices. In this employee handbook example icons have been used to help show new employees what they can expect on their first day at the company. It's a roadmap of how they should act, and it speaks to your company . It contains everything about everything that anybody might need to know about working within your organization. Netflix. At all levels and stages within your company, employee handbooks can be beneficial. The following is required for Saver Group, Inc employees: Pressed/ironed company shirt, vest, or smock. All accounts start with a 7-day free trial and can be cancelled at any time. These elements will keep your readers engaged and enticed by the materials included. We also offer a variety of your favorite National Brands. Its important that the colors you use in your employee handbook reflect your organization and your company culture. Employee expectations usually outlined in the. Certain countries require you to have an official employee handbook outlining mandatory work rules by law. Valves handbookprovides the employee with a clear career and company roadmap in a fun storybook format. What do the best employee handbooks typically include? Even when companies understand what should go into an employee handbook, it can be challenging to visualize what it should look like once its all put together. This section is mostly informative and helps you establish basic employment-related definitions. Welcome new employees to the team. An employee handbook or manual is a guide given to employees that includes everything related to an organization's policies. In essence, an employee handbook is a simplified document used by employees, whereas a policy manual is an exhaustive policy document, for use by management and Human Resources (HR). This is where your employees will refer to when they have questions on compliance and ethics. These cookies are set by our advertising partners to track your activity and show you relevant Venngage ads on other sites as you browse the internet. Our employee handbook templates are inspired from real-life handbooks published by top brands. In this case, an employee handbook can prevent employers and managers having to relay the same information and lets employees refer to things they may have missed later. Then, publish your employee handbook online. The employee handbook can go by many names such as: staff or employee manual, employee field guide, and culture code. Next you need to pick a design style for your employee handbook. On a site where you want to build the library (i.e., Human Resources Site ), create a new document library called Employee Handbook. Where to sit, what happens at lunch, illness and vacation policies. Houston took a comedic approach to their employee handbook with witty text telling their new employees it will be ok. By Andy Stewart. Save-A-Lot was sold by Supervalu in late 2016 to Onex Corporation for $1.4 billion, and it wasn't long after that they brought in a secret weapon an Aldi nemesis. Also, feel free to modify this templates language to match your companys culture. But weve all been there on the first day of a new job, overwhelmed by new information. The clickable table of contents enables readers to find and refer back to the information they need at their convenience. Click to skip ahead to each section: ), so make sure that you break down complicated information into easy to manage chunks. Essentially, it's an HR manual that employees can refer to when they have questions about benefits, holidays, company culture and more. This can deter employees from engaging in toxic conduct and encourage them to adopt healthy behaviors and attitudes. Employee handbooks can paint a clear understanding of what their supervisors expect of them. 1. Ill explain what you should include in your handbook, along with some employee handbook best practices and design tips. This is especially true in small businesses that often operate administratively on an as-needed basis. Employee handbooks are a human resources essential, alongside HR reports, performance reviews, and incident reports, so its important to get right. Follow these 5 steps to build a high-performance culture in your organization. This means . Why should you create an employee handbook? This is one of the sections employees will care about the most. As a company you should already have one, and by including it in your employee handbook you will provide a reference to employees who are seeking that information. An employee handbook not only serves your new staff, but your old staff as well. We do have a founder/president, but even he isn't your manager. Driven by a passion for inclusivity, finding the best talent and creating engaging work environments, Victoria thrives by empowering high-performance teams. Learning about the companys history, mission, and core values can increase employee engagement and loyalty. That aside, when it comes to legal issues, you can use the handbook when you encounter situations such as an employment tribunal.