“Employee handbook” and “policy manual” might sound like interchangeable terms, but they’re two separate items, each with their own distinct purpose. 

By understanding the differences between an employee handbook and a policy manual, your company can ensure the right people have access to the appropriate level of information. Properly documented and communicated policies can also help you minimize liability risks in the workplace.

In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about employee handbooks and policy manuals, including their purpose, contents, and requirements. 

We’ll also highlight the main differences between the two documents. 

Let’s take a closer look at how to distinguish between employee handbooks and policy manuals.

A signature page gives an employee handbook its power, so it should be a priority when developing your handbook content. Though it can be easy to get caught up in the ins and outs of the policies themselves, your signature or acknowledgement page is what makes things official. By signing, employees affirm that they’ve read the expectations detailed on the acknowledgement page.

In this article, we’ll explore signature pages from all angles, including what they are, best practices (with examples), and how to create and design an effective signature page for your employee handbook.

Let’s get down to signing business!

The words “code of conduct” may make you think you’re already in trouble. However, a company’s code of conduct is ultimately just a policy that details responsibilities, social norms, and other rules employees should follow in their interactions with others and toward the organization as a whole. Simply put, it lets employees know what you expect from them, which should help create a more harmonious workplace.

A code of conduct is not only beneficial in terms of managing employee behavior, but it can also help establish your company’s culture and core values. Let’s get to it.

Whether or not this is your first rodeo, creating or overhauling an employee handbook is a big project. If you know the traps you might encounter along the way, you can devise a plan to avoid them. These five pieces of advice will help you steer clear of common pitfalls during your next handbook project.

Happy 100th Bugle! There’s just something special about the number 100. It’s the sum of the first nine prime numbers (2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19 and 23). It’s the total number of United States Senators. It’s the amount of tiles in a game of Scrabble. It’s how many Bugles we’ve carefully crafted for your enjoyment…you’re welcome.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, look at these awesome HR, leadership and policy management articles we found over the past couple weeks.

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Article of the Week: Has social distancing driven you to a place of self-reflection? Rather than viewing your imperfections negatively, this Bugle’s Article ‒ er, Video ‒ of the Week might help you view them in a different light. Look for the ✦ below, you beautifully flawed specimen.

Want to pick the brains of other HR professionals? We’ve done it for you by compiling a list of the top six resources to help you write handbook policies and procedures. Click away!

Feeling hesitant about taking the handbook updating plunge? We know it’s hard. Before diving head-first into our complete How to Write Policies and Procedures guide, test the waters with these top tips for writing policies and procedures.

Although we saved this topic for last, it’s arguably one of the most important handbook decisions you’ll make. Before you’re buried in policies and procedures, be sure you’ve nailed down your handbook delivery method. Your chosen distribution channel will change the way you present content to your audience, so it’s important to know before you start writing.

How many online employee handbooks have you created? Chances are the answer is zero, zip, zilch, or nada. We, on the other hand, have become quite familiar with the steps it takes to launch your new or updated company policies. As a result, we created a checklist to keep a project like this organized and on track. This project management is baked right in to Blissbook, but since not everyone gets to experience the joy of this in-app functionality, we thought we’d share it with you here as well.

Listed below are the common milestones you will achieve from the day you decide you want to redo your policies/handbook through your launch and follow-ups. Want these milestones to-go?

Click here to download the project milestones checklist or just go ham and download the entire How to Write Policies workbook.

After pouring your heart and soul into your policies and procedures, your handbook deserves the best launch in the history of launches. As indicated in Part 2, your marketing / communications team can help devise a strategy for unveiling your handbook – and we’ve created a worksheet to make it easier.