How Do You Write an Employee Handbook? Here’s A Helpful Starter Guide

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.

Why Do You Need an Employee Handbook?

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. Employee handbooks promote consistent policies among your organization and in doing so strengthen trust.

What to Include in an Employee Handbook

We’ve put together a free downloadable 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

Remember that your employee handbook should be a living document, that is updated when company policies or guidelines change. 

How Do You Write an Employee Handbook?

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 a copy of the handbook to your employees, or let them know where they can access the electronic version of the handbook (e.g., on the company’s intranet).

Are Employee Handbooks Required?

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.

How Justworks Can Help

Navigating HR tasks such as building an employee handbook can be tough for new entrepreneurs and experienced employers alike. That’s where Justworks comes in. With Justworks, you’ll get a helping hand when it comes to the nitty-gritty of HR and compliance. If you’re ready to spend more of your time supporting your people and growing your business, get started with Justworks today!