The term “employee handbook” may evoke images of a dusty stack of plastic-bound photocopies wedged away in the corner of the company break room. But when done well, employee handbooks are a great opportunity to communicate both your company’s essential employment policies, and also your culture and ethos.
In addition to articulating key policies, employee handbooks also help you set clear expectations for your team — an important driver of employee satisfaction and retention. One-third of employees leave a job in the first six months; of those, 23% reported that they’d have been more likely to stay if they’d had clearer guidelines from the start, according to a Justworks survey. Employee handbooks promote consistent policies among your organization and in doing so strengthen trust.
We’ve put together a Starter Guide to Creating an Employee Handbook for growing businesses. The guide provides an overview of the areas your handbook should address, as well as tips around crafting policies related to:
Anti-harassment and equal employment opportunity
IT resources
Benefits
Wages
Performance and termination
Security
Safety and loss prevention
Your employee handbook is often one of the first points of introduction to your company for new team members. As such, it’s helpful to consider not only the information in your handbook, but also how that information is presented.
Shoot for a friendly, conversational tone. Pay attention to the design and structure of the document to make sure it’s easy for employees to find answers to FAQs. And don’t forget to distribute the handbook to your employees, or let them know where the they can access the electronic version of the handbook (e.g., on the company’s intranet).
While there are many laws requiring employers to notify employees in writing of certain workplace rights, there’s no law that specifically calls for the creation of an employee handbook. However, taking the initiative to create one will go a long way toward making your team feel supported and fostering an environment of openness and trust at every level of your organization.
Ready to get started? Download the Starter Guide to Creating an Employee Handbook today.
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