Employee Handbook Sample: What to include?

How to create an employee handbook sample?

There are several reasons why a company should have a well structured employee handbook. To name a few:

• Great way to communicate the company culture to the employees
• Sets the ethos of the company
• Sets expectations between the employees and the company
• Describe all the legal obligations of the employer towards the employee
• List all the employee rights

In this guide we will give you an idea on what to include in your employee handbook and also we share with you some employee handbook samples of some of the most respected companies in the world.

What to include in the employee handbook?

An employee handbook should at least include the following sections:

1.Code of Conduct

This section should cover compliance policies, employee commitments towards the company, how to treat integrity issues, penalties for violations of company policies.

2.Business Policies and Procedures

This section should cover the responsibilities of all employees and their leaders. Specifically it should cover regulatory requirements, customer and suppliers relationships policies, government relationship policies, fair employment policies (working hours and wages) and how leaders should engage and motivate their employees.

3.Health and Safety

It is a legal obligation for every company to protect the environment and the health and safety of employees. This section should cover how the company conducts its operations in a manner that is safe for employees and the environment. Also it should a guide on what the employee should do and what to watch out for

4.Security of intellectual property

In most companies intellectual property is one of its most valuable assets. And all employees should work to safeguard these assets. This section should set the tone on how to treat intellectual property as well as how to use other third party intellectual property.

5.Leaver Policy

The leave policies should be document in the employee handbook in detail. It should cover family matters, military matters, jury duty and should be in line with the local laws. Also it should cover vacation and sick leave policy

6.IT Hardware & Software

This section should cover the policies for appropriate use of tangible assets e.g. laptops, mobiles, software.

What the best companies include in their employee handbook?

A good question to ask is how the most respected companies in the world do it? here's few examples:

Employee Handbook Sample: Nike

Nike's code of conduct focuses around doing the right time always and winning as a team. The expect from their employees to act as an owner, play fair and always speak up.

Source: Nike

Employee Handbook Sample: Google

Google's employee handbook or employee code of conduct is build around measuring everything against the highest ethical standards of conducting business. Every employee is accountable to follow the code and if they fail to do so it may result in termination.

Source: Google