Posted 06/08/2017
Employee Handbook Series Part 2 – The HOW
It’s really a no-brainer. An effective employee handbook benefits both sides of the employment equation. In fact, it may well be the most important document your company creates. And the number one reason for that is this: every area of any importance has to be hammered out before it can make the pages of the handbook. Policies have to be set; procedures worked through, decisions made. A meeting of the minds has to occur to figure out the tough stuff, rather than endlessly push to the back burner the issues that, though critical to the company’s success, are sometimes just plain difficult to iron out.
Once the policies and procedures are in place, it’s time to assemble them into a comprehensive resource that will, again, benefit both employer and employee.
Keep these basic guidelines in mind:
- Be concise and keep the legalese to a minimum. Where it’s necessary, by all means, use the legal jargon. But where a more conversational tone is acceptable, go with that.
- Let the 3 P’s of the company shine through on every page: Purpose, Presence, and Personality. That means that your company handbook will not look like any other company’s document. Let this crucial piece be as original as the company is.
- “What do we do that sets us apart?”
- “How did the company get here?”
- “What are we passionate about?”
- “How can I, as a new hire, become a part of this culture?”