Your employee handbook can (and should) be more than a yawn-inducing document that outlines your company’s policies and procedures. What if, instead, you viewed your handbook as an opportunity to show employees you care—that they matter?

If you want to create a handbook that people actually read—and maybe even enjoy—you’re in the right place. Let’s take a look at how you can turn your company’s handbook into an engaging, informative resource.

Your handbook helps employees understand what your company is all about—from culture and values to the policies and procedures that make your workplace successful. Creating a helpful handbook means knowing what to include and, just as importantly, what not to include. 

In this article, we’ll take a look at the employee handbook creation process and provide guidance on what topics to cover and what to avoid. 

Want to craft an employee handbook that’s more than just rules? One that really speaks to your employees and showcases your company’s spirit? We’ve got you covered.

In this article, we’ll talk about how to design an effective employee handbook, including best practices and key considerations to make it informative and engaging.

Your employee handbook is critical to your company’s success. An effective handbook details everything from culture and values to day-to-day expectations to policies that help ensure compliance with employment laws. 

Since it’s vital that employees read your handbook, you should make it as simple as possible to access. So, if you haven’t considered moving your employee handbook online, you should — and not just because that’s what we do here at Blissbook.

In this article, we’ll discuss handbook creation, highlight the perks of going online, and provide some factors to help you choose a platform.

Blissbook now has the ability to provide law change alerts to customers! What follows is an alert we recently wrote on a topic that can affect all companies as it deals with how broadly many “work rules” are written.

Overview

On August 2, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a decision (Stericycle Inc.) that reverses an earlier precedent (Boeing) that itself had modified an earlier decision (Lutheran Heritage Village-Livonia). Confused yet? Basically the NLRB said, “nevermind” to how they were operating for the past 6 years and moved back towards standards first established in 2004.

The NLRB said the primary problem with how they’re operating is that it permits employers to adopt overbroad work rules that chill employees’ rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (the right to organize, form, or join a union).

An employee handbook covers everything from your company culture to day-to-day policies and information related to legal compliance. A good employee handbook reduces uncertainty, maintains consistency, and helps resolve conflict.

A table of contents makes your employee handbook easy to navigate. Even better, an electronic or digital employee handbook can include a table of contents with clickable links, making it even easier for employees to navigate to the specific information they need.

By the end of this article, you should know why you need a table of contents and how to create one.

Your employee handbook serves as a guide for both new and existing employees, helping them navigate the company with ease. Creating an employee handbook may seem overwhelming at first, but we promise it’s worth the investment. 

To make your life easier, we’ve outlined the policies you should include in your employee handbook.

Adding an acknowledgement statement in your employee handbook is not just a formality. It’s a safety net to document that your employees have received your handbook. Some acknowledgement statements go even further, asking employees for additional confirmation such as reading, understanding, or saying that they’ll comply with the policies included in the handbook.

But first, let’s understand the role of an employee handbook. It’s a fundamental document that helps you set expectations, guidelines, and policies for everyone in the company. Because your handbook is rich with content, it’s important to collect employee acknowledgement.

Here’s a guide to help you understand why you need an acknowledgement statement and how to make yours as effective as possible.

Imagine receiving a heartfelt message from the company CEO on your first day at a new job. When properly executed, this message has the power to make a strong first impression.

Employee handbooks introduce new hires (and reintroduce existing employees!) to your company culture, policies, and expectations. By integrating a personal message from the CEO, you can make everyone feel more welcome.

A CEO greeting communicates your company culture while showcasing leadership’s dedication. In this article, we’ll guide you through creating an effective CEO welcome message.

Imagine this: You’ve just been handed your employee handbook on your first day at a new job. As you begin flipping through the pages, you are met with dry, boring paragraphs of text. Are you inspired to read on, or do you feel overwhelmed?

Now, picture a different scenario: You’re given an employee handbook where the text is interspersed with images, infographics, and/or illustrations. The balance of text and visuals makes the content much more approachable.

Images can transform your employee handbook from an intimidating wall of text into a lively, engaging, and even enjoyable read. Visual elements don’t just make your handbook look good; they aid in comprehension, retention, and overall interaction with the document. When you emphasize design, you’ll make your employees feel how much they matter to your company.

We touch on images and design work in the “The Pep Work” section of our How to Write Policies & Procedures guide, but let’s dive a little deeper on adding images to your employee handbook.