In most roles I’ve begun, an worker handbook was the primary inside doc I learn. So naturally, I’d make a variety of assumptions in regards to the type of place I used to be employed at based mostly on the worker handbook.
From trip insurance policies to decorate codes to nondiscrimination insurance policies, worker handbooks have given me a transparent overview of the dos, don’ts, laws, and expectations of my new position.
They’ve additionally helped pique my pleasure, particularly when the corporate mission, values, and tradition are laid out.
Under, I’ll cowl the significance of an worker handbook, 9 important components to incorporate, an worker handbook template, and examples to assist information yours.
Desk of Contents
What’s an worker handbook?
An worker handbook is an exhaustive doc outlining a company’s insurance policies, procedures, and worker expectations.
It’s an important useful resource for brand new hires and current employees. Workers can overview their rights and duties as members of the corporate.
Why is having an worker handbook essential?
Worker handbooks are important for a number of causes, for each the employer and staff. Right here’s why.
1. Inform new hires.
After I was employed at Paramount, I underwent a two-day orientation and onboarding.
Throughout this era, I obtained an worker handbook that outlined employees expectations. That doc included methods to advertise privateness, concord, security, and group.
The handbook was a useful useful resource for higher understanding Paramount’s tradition and the way I may very well be an upstanding member of such a big, international group.
It was additionally a aid to know this was a information I may repeatedly consult with every time questions or issues arose.
2. Doc mandated insurance policies.
Paramount requires us to finish a number of common worker trainings, together with anti-sexual harassment, anti-discrimination, enterprise conduct, and extra. These trainings coincide with federal, state, and native legal guidelines that corporations should uphold.
Worker handbooks are an awesome place for corporations to stipulate these insurance policies to make sure all employees are given the data they want and that employers adjust to legal guidelines and laws.
3. Declare firm targets.
Most profitable corporations have cohesive vision propositions, mission statements, and values that present context for the corporate’s function. These statements additionally information staff towards a shared objective.
Fashionable worker handbooks embody this info to ensure all employees are instantly made conscious of why they had been employed and the way they will play a task within the larger imaginative and prescient.
Studying this info in my worker handbooks additionally helped me develop enthusiasm and fervour for my upcoming work.
What to Embrace in an Worker Handbook
Understanding the place to start is tough when crafting an worker handbook. Try the sections I’ve discovered most helpful.
1. Introduction to Firm and Values
As talked about, I’ve discovered a variety of worth in higher understanding the corporate from an inside lens in an worker handbook.
Whereas Paramount has a variety of externally-facing info, staff will get an inside scoop on what makes it so particular.
It is a nice technique to start the worker handbook, providing new staff an elevator pitch about why the corporate issues and why they need to be excited to hitch it.
2. Code of Conduct
Right here, I realized in regards to the moral requirements {and professional} habits anticipated on the firm. It’s useful to have a baseline of what the corporate expects of me ethically so I can stay an upstanding member of the group.
I’ve additionally realized a variety of primary employee-wide pointers, akin to hybrid workplace necessities and the costume code.
Total, the code of conduct shares the corporate’s values and desired habits that it needs to foster in staff of all ranges.
3. New Rent and Separation Coverage
As a brand new rent at Paramount, I had limitless questions on my new employment, notably how and when to enroll for advantages. This part gives details about that, in addition to extra critical subjects akin to disciplinary methods.
In tandem, it gives info in case an worker needs to depart the corporate for no matter cause.
Staff who don’t really feel snug asking sure questions earlier than asserting their depart can consult with the worker handbook to grasp when their insurance coverage protection ends and if they are going to be paid out for unused time without work.
4. Efficiency and Profession Improvement Insurance policies
Ahead-thinkers like me are at all times planning for what’s subsequent. After I begin a brand new position, I need to really feel assured that I’ll be a part of a group that prioritizes my studying and profession progress.
This part is a superb place to put out how promotions and raises happen, and what alternatives the corporate gives for workers to broaden their data
5. Compensation and Advantages Coverage
This part has been extraordinarily important to me as a brand new rent and long-standing worker.
It’s an awesome place to refer again to every time I need to remind myself about my insurance coverage protection or join a brand new program like tuition reimbursement.
It’s additionally the place I am going to grasp my compensation. New hires will seemingly have questions on how they’re paid (weekly or bi-weekly) and the way their payroll deductions look. It’s essential info to have available.
6. Go away Coverage
I’m grateful to work on a group and at an organization that encourages me to take time without work for trip, sick time, and private days. I realized a variety of this info within the worker handbook.
Since I’m not a salaried worker, the handbook defined what number of PTO and sick days I obtained per calendar yr, in addition to what federal holidays the corporate observes.
It’s useful to have the ability to refer again to this steerage when planning holidays and future time without work.
7. Equal Employment and Nondiscrimination Coverage
As a younger lady of colour, working at an organization that acknowledges the significance of variety and inclusion is an absolute precedence.
I delight myself on working for a group with every kind of people that have various views, which makes our work stronger.
I imagine all corporations ought to spotlight these insurance policies of their worker handbooks so new hires know from the get-go that the corporate is critical about who it needs to contribute to the tradition.
8. Computer systems and Know-how Coverage
Many corporations like mine have embraced a hybrid work setting, that means we go into the workplace a number of days per week and work remotely the opposite days.
For that reason, staff at my firm obtain company-owned gadgets, akin to laptops and telephones.
This could result in many safety and privateness points, so I like to recommend together with a piece within the worker handbook that communicates laws round utilizing company-owned gadgets and applications.
9. Well being and Security Insurance policies.
My firm conducts bi-annual fireplace and security process walkthroughs with safety. Nonetheless, as a brand new rent, I used to be desperate to know these protocols from the beginning, since I had simply missed the final spherical of walkthroughs.
The worker handbook is an effective place to element safety procedures, akin to requiring badges for entry and protocols within the case of emergency occasions, akin to a fireplace.
This additionally helps scale back firm legal responsibility by guaranteeing this essential life-preserving info is supplied to all new hires.
10. Non-Disclosure Settlement and Confidentiality Coverage
One of many perks of being at my firm is being aware of knowledge, info, and plans that aren’t for the general public eye. However with this chance comes an enormous accountability to protect the confidentiality of this data.
Subsequently, it’s important to make clear within the worker handbook what is taken into account confidential info for inside operations and purchasers and the way to preserve privateness to make sure it’s not misused or shared externally.
11. Signature Web page
An important a part of the worker handbook is when staff really comply with all of the insurance policies, procedures, and methods laid out.
This ensures staff learn and comply with the phrases of the handbook and that the corporate is protected within the case of a wrongful termination lawsuit.
Now that I’ve conveyed the areas I’ve discovered worthwhile in my worker handbooks, let me share a template that dives extra deeply into what to incorporate in every part.
Worker Handbook Template
Worker Handbook for [Company Name]
Introduction to Firm and Values
- Describe the corporate’s historical past, together with when, by whom, and why it was based.
- Lay out the corporate mission assertion.
- Embrace perception into the corporate tradition and what components are prioritized within the office, akin to autonomy or steady training.
Code of Conduct
- Provide a common overview of ethics and compliance, which permit the corporate to pretty regulate and assess a person’s habits.
- Element essential insurance policies, together with tardiness, costume code, and disciplinary actions.
- Present sources for workers to reference when encountering moral predicaments.
New Rent and Separation Coverage
- Let new staff know whether or not they should wait to obtain their advantages (and the way lengthy) and what steps to take if an worker needs to give up.
- Define the progressive self-discipline coverage, which is a structured strategy to addressing worker misconduct or efficiency points utilizing more and more strict steps that enable staff to appropriate errors.
- Summarize what advantages staff are entitled to and for the way lengthy, if terminated.
Efficiency and Profession Improvement Insurance policies
- Lay out the worker analysis course of and at what cadence these evaluations ought to be arrange with managers.
- Clarify when and the way promotions occur, in addition to coaching and studying alternatives.
Compensation and Advantages Coverage
- Element vital advantages relating to well being care, dental, imaginative and prescient, life insurance coverage, and shares.
- Share details about different worker advantages, akin to tuition reimbursement, commuter advantages, parking, worker referral bonuses, and 401(ok) plans.
- Present steerage relating to compensation, akin to complete wage, payroll deductions, and compensation will increase for particular job descriptions.
- Doc the fee schedule for every worker (weekly or bi-weekly).
Go away Coverage
- Share how a lot paid and unpaid trip time staff obtain.
- Make clear insurance policies round sick time, medical depart, and paid household depart and guarantee these adjust to U.S. Department of Labor laws, if relevant.
- Listing firm holidays.
Equal Employment and Nondiscrimination Coverage
- Embrace an employment and nondiscrimination coverage, per The U.S. Division of Labor Equal Employment Opportunity regulation.
- Reiterate to staff that discrimination or harassment will not be tolerated within the office.
Computer systems and Know-how Coverage
- Relay what staff can and might’t do with their supplied know-how.
- Inform whether or not the corporate has the suitable to view emails despatched on firm computer systems, if social media ought to be prevented on these gadgets, and the way a lot privateness they need to anticipate whereas utilizing firm property.
- Share if any actions carried out on firm know-how are fireable offenses.
Well being and Security Insurance policies
- Define office security pointers, akin to badge utilization, visitor insurance policies, and prohibited objects.
- Relay important emergency procedures within the occasion of a hearth or safety lockdown.
- Let staff know their rights as administered by The Occupational Security and Well being Administration (OSHA).
Non-Disclosure Settlement and Confidentiality Coverage
- Listing what info staff should preserve non-public, akin to the corporate‘s inside marketing strategy, consumer info, and staff’ monetary account info.
- Share methods staff can guarantee privateness and confidentiality, akin to avoiding public wifi, by no means leaving firm gadgets unattended, and requesting NDAs from companions earlier than sharing paperwork.
Signature Web page
- Embrace a signature web page on the finish of the worker handbook that states the worker has learn and agreed to the data detailed within the worker handbook.
Should you’d like an much more seamless, plug-and-play template, take a look at HubSpot’s free employee handbook template that gives a basis to combine your model’s personalised messaging and data.
Pattern Worker Handbook
I like to recommend you create an worker handbook that’s distinctive and explicit to your tradition and firm values.
Nonetheless, I’ve developed a pattern worker handbook to assist get you began. I open with an organization overview and details about the enterprise’ values.
Many sections are too private and legally delicate to incorporate in a pattern.
For example, evaluation state and federal legal guidelines and phone a lawyer when writing a non-disclosure settlement. After the intro, I like to recommend including details about your tradition code. Then, you may discuss particular insurance policies.
After this part, I like to recommend itemizing out any related worker advantages. That features their compensation, advantages, and paid time without work.
The final portion of my pattern handbook options bracketed sections that relate to authorities laws. If this had been my enterprise, I would come with that info then ask for an worker signature.
Worker Handbook Examples
I’ve established that a number of sections in an worker handbook are pretty customary — to not point out legally required. Moreover, many insurance policies are for inside eyes solely, making them inaccessible to curious weblog writers.
Subsequently, I’ve gathered a listing of artistic, distinctive tradition pages, books, and codes.
These are terrific methods to start an worker handbook. They transcend a conventional firm historical past and overview to embrace daring design, humor, and imaginative language and precisely painting the corporate’s tradition to new hires.
In fact, these examples should not standalone worker handbooks, however take a web page out of those manufacturers’ books to jazz up an in any other case mundane, standardized doc.
1. Warby Parker
Warby Parker is a modern, inexpensive eyewear model from whom I’ve bought one too many pairs of eyeglasses. Its tradition ebook is designed as a digital information, representing its fashionable, revolutionary model qualities properly.
I particularly love the aesthetically pleasing colour scheme, gentle fonts, imagery, and humorousness.
Whereas I’m inquisitive about an organization’s origin, I don’t essentially need to learn a prolonged historical past ebook about it.
Warby Parker does an outstanding job of retaining its historical past quick and simply digestible by designing the origin story as a textual content dialog and the historical past as a visible timeline.
Lastly, I really like the emphasis on the corporate values, framed as “Our Promise.” This exhibits that these statements aren’t simply issues the model values and hopes to perform however vows to.
If I had been an worker at this firm, I might really feel assured that this can be a place that encourages creativity, doesn’t take itself too significantly, and prioritizes the well-being of its workforce.
2. Netflix
Netflix’s tradition web page is a superb instance of how a model can personalize its worker handbook for potential, new, and long-time hires.
Whereas an worker handbook has a variety of essential, necessary info, it will probably additionally excite staff.
Not like Warby Parker, this web page has a crisp and clear black-and-white design. Nonetheless, I believe this works properly with the language used. It’s a honest and sincere ode to the tradition they’ve and aspire to have.
I really like the above introduction, because it authentically reveals what Netflix prioritizes in its workforce whereas admitting that it generally falls wanting these targets and is a piece in progress.
As a brand new rent, becoming a member of an organization that prides itself on perfection is intimidating, so it’s a aid to know you may be part of the continual progress.
Under is a snapshot of how Netflix outlines its guidelines, with out getting too into the weeds (that’s for inside, employed staff).
I recognize this part as a result of it calls out that there are strict guidelines for important insurance policies, akin to harassment and privateness.
However then, the model personalizes by stating a few of their much less critical insurance policies, akin to “Take trip” being their trip coverage, and “Act in Netflix’s finest pursuits” being the bills coverage.
Language like this provides essential info whereas providing context in regards to the firm tradition. There’s a technique to be critical about critical issues and playful in regards to the enjoyable elements of an worker handbook.
3. HubSpot
To not toot our personal horn, however the HubSpot Culture Code is fairly nice.
One among my many favourite elements is that it’s in a slide presentation format. This makes it really feel much less daunting and extra accessible to flip via every now and then, fairly than digging via a prolonged doc.
I recognize that HubSpot acknowledges the Tradition Code as extra than simply an worker handbook — it’s a lifestyle. It goes past the required by explaining the hows and whys new hires care about.
In spite of everything, job descriptions describe so much a couple of position however much less about the way it feels to be part of the group.
Because the Tradition Code is 128 slides, there’s a fast abstract of the tenets on slide 17. Not solely does this operate as a kind of desk of contents, nevertheless it additionally works as a set of firm values that will likely be influential.
The HubSpot Tradition Code seamlessly combines essential insurance policies and data for brand new hires with motivational, revolutionary messages. It conveys key authorized and cultural factors in the identical presentation.
For example, within the slide proven above, new hires obtain express details about profession growth alternatives accessible on the firm.
This aligns with the Efficiency and profession growth insurance policies mentioned above whereas being reassured that HubSpot prioritizes profession progress simply as a lot as its merchandise.
I’m additionally an enormous fan of quick, clear mottos which might be straightforward to recall and apply to a number of difficult conditions. Issues can get advanced in a brand new job, so connecting an issue to the fundamentals may also help new hires put their work into perspective.
You’ll be able to see this idea exemplified within the following slide.
Now that I’ve walked via some highly effective worker handbook samples, learn on for code of conduct samples.
Code of Conduct Samples
The code of conduct, which follows the corporate overview part of an worker handbook, is basically essential and equally as tough to craft from scratch.
That’s why I’ve included some actual examples of profitable and provoking codes of conduct:
Extra Than a Handbook
I’ve by no means thought-about how important an worker handbook may be. I’ve referred to lots of mine earlier than for understanding my rights and duties.
Nonetheless, engaged on this submit taught me that an worker handbook additionally affords the chance to model one of many first paperwork new hires contact.
It’s a possibility to share an organization’s persona and what makes it an incredible place to work. Your new rent had the prospect to impress you — now it’s your alternative to impress them.
Editor’s notice: This submit was initially revealed in December 2018 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.
