Is an employee handbook a legal requirement? Connect with her on LinkedIn! Step 1: Write the outline of your employee handbook Every great employee handbook starts with a great outline. Items can change for an overwhelming amount of reasons. 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. An employee handbook can even save time during employee induction periods, where a lot of information must be discussed. Existing employees should get a copy of the handbook each time it is updated. These cookies are always on, as theyre essential for making Venngage work, and making it safe. About us. 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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. Keep your paragraphs short and concise, use simple language, and write in plain English. What should an employee handbook necessarily contain? 2023 PeopleGoal, Inc. All rights reserved. Plus, it can be used as a resource that they can come back to again and again. This is where your employees will refer to when they have questions on compliance and ethics. it is not always the most important information in an induction but may be useful to have a reference on hand when it comes to accessing health and financial benefits. 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 Step 4: Share your finished employee handbook. Employee self-service and seamless Benefits management. Here are the policies included with tips on how to customize them to your own workplace: Your Code of Conduct provides a framework for employee behavior. Zappos' culture book published for public viewing in 2014 is a great example of how to do company culture right. This is where examples come in. Remember, wage and hour laws are linked to how well you track employee's time. 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. Save-A-Lot Food Stores Employee Benefits and Perks | Glassdoor US Indonesia All Employees Intern Part Time Full Time Seasonal Interviews Pharmacy Technician Career Jobs Salaries Interviews Law Clerk Career Jobs Salaries Interviews Manager Career Jobs Salaries Interviews Work at Save-A-Lot Food Stores? Next we cover the fundamentals of employee handbooks, plus offer 7 handbook examples you can learn from. 9. New hires should receive the handbook by their 1st day of work. Read More Recent News 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. Their employee handbook is an excellent example of how you can reduce the content to convey only the most essential information to the employees. A staff handbook gives your employees an overview of what's expected of them, and also what they can expect from you when it comes to things like holiday allowance. 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. January 23, 2023 Employee handbooks are the go-to documents within every company. It should also include your equality policies. From dress code to PTO policy and parking guidelines to reimbursement processes, a handbook is the most effective way to aggregate and share important information. Your data protection policy should include information on the principles of data protection and how your employees should follow them, how you process staff data and the handling of sensitive data. An important item to include alongside your equal opportunities and harassment policies is your grievances procedure. We keep detailed records of our company cars with manufacturing date and mileage. However, this can easily lead to miscommunication, confusion, and chaos. In this employee handbook example the paragraphs are brief and written simply, so that everybody can understand the information being shared. However, you will find that some points you should include in an employee handbook are required by law, such as a health and safety policy or data protection policy. A policy manual, on the other hand, is a document that tells your employees how to do things, and may include more technical information. Other companies are opting for. Employee onboarding is a crucial stage in all employees career cycle. Houston took a comedic approach to their employee handbook with witty text telling their new employees it will be ok. 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! Keep your employees in mind by highlighting the most important information foremost. What do the best employee handbooks typically include? By Andy Stewart. It contains everything about everything that anybody might need to know about working within your organization. See store hours and weekly ad for low price, quality groceries every day. This helps them approach their work with more confidence and increases their efficiency right off the bat. Of course if you have brand fonts it is important to use them. An employee handbook or manual is a guide given to employees that includes everything related to an organization's policies. Therefore, your employee handbook should address the unique elements of your business, including company values and objectives. That aside, when it comes to legal issues, you can use the handbook when you encounter situations such as an employment tribunal. However, if they are minor or non-detrimental and they are not part of the contract of employment, they can be updated in line with current legislation as and when required, without having to obtain your employee's agreement. If there is complex information, consider adding a glossary to define concepts or terms. An employee handbook is beneficial to stay on track and have clear communication between employees. What are some strategies to manage employees who work virtually? Toptal's Tip-Centric Handbook. Itll give your employees an idea of what the terms of their contract and job classification are. Employee handbooks are basically manuals containing an employer's work rules and policies used to communicate these rules and policies to employees. It's a roadmap of how they should act, and it speaks to your company . 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. Netflixs employee handbookis particularly worth mentioning because it clearly defines company culture and principles while making them actionable. Source, attract and hire top talent with the worlds leading recruiting software. All accounts start with a 7-day free trial and can be cancelled at any time. In some cases, an employee handbook can help defend the company against employee claims. Companies should review their employee manual annually at the very least to ensure it is reflective of societys unavoidable changes. Serves as a resource for employees to check dress codes, vacation and sick leave policies, parking recommendations, timekeeping policies, etc. Outline the policies that affect your employees. However, what they all have in common is that they are a document that should be given to the employee on their first day. The only hardcover employee handbook on our list, yet equally enjoyable as the digital ones, comes from the recruitment company Austin Fraser. A comprehensive employee handbook presentation can inform new hires and get them excited to work for the company. We also offer a variety of your favorite National Brands. The information in your employee handbook should match the information in your policy manual, but it should be a taster rather than the complete policy. Ready to get started creating your employee handbook? Quickly calculate maternity leave entitlement for free. Create an account and start building on the PeopleGoal platform. Your harassment policy should clearly state what is expected of employees in regard to their behaviour. Learn more about picking and using brand fonts. Though the information included in every employee handbook fit into a set of common categories, the depth that companies will go into within each category is dependent on various factors such as company size, company industry, company location(s), company culture, etc. Europe & Rest of World: +44 203 826 8149 Employee handbooks and policy manuals can seem similar, but they are two very different things. However, through the use of exit interviews, you can identify key areas of improvement in your company culture and leadership through the employee's constructive feedback. Effortless payroll. For existing employees, the handbook serves as a point of reference they can turn to whenever they need certain workplace information, such as payroll procedures or their employment rights. Enterprise Employee Handbook Template. Start your free 14-day trial today to start transforming your HR process. A table of contents is also a great way for your employees to quickly skip to a section. This approach might not work for everybody, but if your company prides itself on its wit, sarcasm, and tongue in cheek approach to communications then this could work for you. The interactive format is visually appealing and easy to navigate. 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. Its also worth noting here that certain country-specific employment laws may require you to have an official employee handbook outlining mandatory work rules. An employee handbook not only serves your new staff, but your old staff as well. without them you wouldnt be able to use Venngage. While every company handbook will be unique, there are some common elements. It uses concise language and focuses on the most important sections such as values, policies, and business models. Employers give this to employees to clarify their rights and responsibilities while they're employed with the company. These standards defined in the employee handbook can then be used when approaching an employee for disciplinary action or dismissal. As a result, knowing how to track hours is essential. Company policies including vacation time, sick days, bullying and harassment, etc. Join the Workest community to ask questions in our community, bookmark articles, and receive our weekly email, People Operations Checklist for New Hire Onboarding. More specifically, that would be Kenneth McGrath, former CEO of Lidl, Aldi's main competitor in the European market. Focus on the language and tone you're using - make sure to focus on the positives, address employees as "you" and "we", and include a dose of humor if possible. Policies on: vacation time, paid time, sick leave. Discover eight employee handbook examples you can draw inspiration from in this post. Create an employee handbook now Customize an employee handbook template in minutes. 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Include policies such as anti-harassment and health and safety in your employee handbook to build a lawful and pleasant workplace where your employees can thrive. Your employee handbook is likely one of the longest documents youll create and whilst its important to include a lot of information, its also important to make sure you dont waffle on. You will need a firm understanding of your companys foundation, mission, core values, employment law requirements, and more. Incorporating an employee handbook template into your company's employee manual will help ensure you have a set of rules and guidelines to follow. Help your employees locate the information they need quicker by making use of headers and subheaders within your employee handbook. In doing so, employee handbooks help to establish a culture where issues can be dealt with fairly and consistently. Similar to Hubspot Netflix's employee handbook uses slide shares to create an easy-to-digest format. Step 2: Design your employee handbook using a template An employee handbook is an essential for any business. You are required to sign and return the declaration issued with this handbook stating that you have read the handbook and are satisfied as to your and the Charity's responsibilities with respect to health and safety. Still need inspiration? Start your handbook with a message from your CEO like Sterling. 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. 12 Effective Performance Review Examples [+ Tips From an HR Manager]. If you are a large organization with hundreds of employees, your employee handbook will likely be much larger and thorough than the employee handbook distributed within smaller and/or less bureaucratic companies. Its about the conditions your employees work in. ), so make sure that you break down complicated information into easy to manage chunks. Creating a great employee handbook helps foster a positive work environment with clear communication and a shared culture. Venngage offers a variety of fully customizable employee handbook templates for you to use. What are some workforce trends I should be aware of as I plan for 2023?