3 Ways to Kickstart Creating an Employee Handbook

Bottom Line: Outlining clear employee policies through a handbook absolutely helps prevent sticky HR situations!

Handbooks are a great way to bundle key policies, outline what employees can expect from your company, and what your company expects from them… even if you only have 1 or 2 employees.

A well-prepared handbook will also answer many of the routine questions that would otherwise end up on the desk of the business owner or HR Admin. When employees receive a handbook and are advised to look there first for answers when they have questions, it can save you time as the business owner.

I’ll walk you three things that can help you kickstart getting an employee handbook in place, no matter your company size:

1. Understand what a handbook is/is not
2. Keep it Simple
3. Plan for Updates

Understand what a handbook is/is not

A handbook is like a guidebook for your employees, guiding them on what behaviors the company expects from them. It also shares important information about their benefits. It is a way to share information with new employees and also a way to ensure you set important standards.

A handbook should not include every policy and operating procedure in your business. You can have standard operating procedures in a separate procedures or operations manual.

Since this month is all about handbooks, we would love to invite you to take advantage of a special summer 2021 offer...

What you will get:

• A "plug and play" handbook template
• Customized 1-on-1 Expedition HR handbook implementation support (valid through Monday, July 26)
• Bonus handbook resources
• Value = $697, Your Price = $147

To get this limited time offer, CLICK HERE!

You may be asking – I found a free handbook template online, can I just use that? By all means, you can!  Just use caution because there is a huge variety of free templates online and it is sometimes hard to discern which are credible and non-credible sources. With this limited time offer for $147, you can rest assured that you will have a done for you "plug and play" handbook in your hands today, along with customized support to get your questions answered!

Keep it Simple

While there is some important legal “jargon” you are wise to include in your handbook, remember to keep your employee handbook simple!  (If you read my book, Conquer Sticky Situations, you know that here at Expedition HR, we are obsessed with keeping things simple!) After all, the point is to have people read and understand your handbook, right?! The goal is to have your employees use your handbook as a resource to look up information about expectations of them as an employee and their benefits. If you want your handbook to serve that purpose, it needs to be clear and simply written.

Plan for Updates

How often should you update your handbook? It is best practice to update your handbook at a minimum once annually. Many businesses choose to bundle any federal or state updates pertinent to their business and make one handbook update each January. Issue spot notifications to employees during the year if there are noteworthy changes to employment laws applicable to your business/your employees.

One way to have the support and resources you need is to become an Expedition HR Subscriber or participate in the next Jumpstart  HR Training Program. You can also consider having us speak at your next company event or schedule one of our Leadership Trainings. We look forward to hearing from you soon!