Any HR department knows the process of creating an effective handbook is no child’s play. A lot of decision making, and critical thinking is involved in creating employee handbooks which makes it a dreadful process, but not if you know the right tips to follow throughout the process!
A lot of important elements are involved in creating an employee handbook and it’s always a good idea to make an initial draft and make sure you have all the important sections included. It is totally understandable to not know the starting point of your draft, that’s why there are always sample templates like these to help you get started.
Creating an employee handbook is tricky but here are some points to help you get started.
Choose a Relevant Template
We sure want to make our handbook looks thorough but being thorough doesn’t mean it has to be lengthy with a lot of sections that might not be relevant to your business. Here are the key things you should include in your template:
- Mission Statement
- Company Vision
- Company Policies
- Employment Laws
- Corporate Social Responsibility policies
A good practice is to go through the employee handbooks of other businesses with the same niche and compare your template to theirs. You can even take some ideas or tips for what to include in your employee handbook. This will help you be precise and relevant.
Consult a Legal Counsel
Including the State sponsored employment laws in your handbook is really important because it reflects on how much you pay attention to facilitating your employees. It’s always a good idea to consult employment law attorneys who can guide you about what laws you can include in your employee handbook.
If you are using an employee handbook builder, most of them come with a feature of pre-set employment laws which are provided by a legal council. However you do it, make sure everything that’s needed is in your employee handbook! Consulting a legal council will ensure that you haven’t missed anything the employees might object to and haven’t added something that might go against the State Law.
Company Policies
Now this is something you need to be really thorough with. Policies introduce your corporate culture to your employees which includes your expectations towards them, and what they should expect of you. Introducing your company’s culture to your employees means making them aware of the ethical behavior and values you will expect them to adopt. Besides this, other policies like harassment laws, paid leaves, maternity leaves, environmental safety laws, and volunteerism also need to be included in the employee handbook.
You should also make sure that your employee handbook draws attention to corporate social responsibility because it shows your employees and clients that you are making yourself socially accountable. This will not only help build your brand but will also enhance your market value!
Review, Compare, And Update
The most important thing about an effective handbook is that it is up to date with all the latest laws, policies, and features of an ever changing workplace environment. Having an updated handbook means that your company pays attention to corporate sustainability and implies means to improve its performance. So, make sure to review your employee handbook every few months or at least annually compare it to other company handbooks, and include and update any policies that you might have missed or the ones that need changing.
To create an effective handbook, it is important to know key policies to include in your employee handbook, create effective employee handbook guidelines, and keep it updated with all the State Employment Laws. Follow our guide to get yourself a perfect and effective employee handbook!
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