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.

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.

At what point should your company create an employee handbook? There’s no simple answer to that question. When evaluating your company’s need for an employee handbook, you should take several factors into consideration.

In this article, we’ll go over the primary functions of an employee handbook, the circumstances that warrant one, and how you can start creating your own.

By the end, you’ll know if you need an employee handbook and how you can make it as impactful as possible.

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.

Whether you’re an HR manager trying to breathe new life into your company’s policies or a business owner creating your first handbook, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll talk about what an employee handbook is, the benefits of handbook templates, and factors to consider when choosing a template. 

We’ve compiled a list of basic employee handbook templates to help inspire your handbook creation process. Most of the templates we’ll feature are suitable for companies with fewer than 50 employees — people looking to create simple handbooks housed in Notion, ClickUp, another wiki tool, or in a Word doc or PDF. However, we’ll discuss some more advanced options, too.

We’ll also go over template customization and implementation, followed by best practices for handbook maintenance.

Workplace success often boils down to clear communication, and your employee handbook plays a major role in getting everyone on the same page. Fostering a harmonious and productive work environment requires more than just a competent team. It demands a clear understanding of your company culture, policies and procedures, and expectations.

In this article, we’ll unravel the complexities of creating an effective employee handbook, breaking the process down into simple steps. So, whether you’re refining an existing handbook or starting from scratch, our practical tips will help you create a successful handbook.