{"id":2785,"date":"2022-12-21T13:28:32","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T18:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/?p=2785"},"modified":"2023-02-19T13:41:03","modified_gmt":"2023-02-19T18:41:03","slug":"why-mission-and-vision-are-employee-handbook-must-haves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/why-mission-and-vision-are-employee-handbook-must-haves\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Mission and Vision are Employee Handbook Must-Haves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/missionvision.png\" alt=\"A robot diagram including vision, mission, and cause\" class=\"wp-image-2786\" width=\"345\" height=\"257\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s common to think of an employee handbook as a guide of <em>do<\/em>s and <em>don\u2019t<\/em>s \u2014 but it can be so much more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your employee handbook can be your most valuable tool in making a good first impression of your organization in its entirety. What better time to induce <em>the feels <\/em>than when new employees come on board?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though it may sound complicated, it\u2019s actually quite simple.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tell them why <\/strong>\u2014 why you exist, and why they should care.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your employees understand why you do what you do, they\u2019re more likely to want to be part of it. And that means they\u2019re also more inclined to adhere to your policies and procedures.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By using your employee handbook to highlight your organization\u2019s mission and vision, you can make Day 1 more impactful than ever.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Explain Your Mission<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important to communicate your organization\u2019s mission in your employee handbook. In short, your mission statement explains why your business exists. In other words, what does your company want to accomplish?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mission statements tend to be tactical \u2014 they tie an employee\u2019s day-to-day tasks back to a greater meaning or goal. <\/strong>Mission statements shouldn\u2019t be completely pie-in-the-sky (e.g. world peace forever and ever), but should instead be action oriented and clear (e.g. to build community in areas with high rates of crime).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some examples of mission statements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Apple:<\/strong> To bring the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software, and services.<\/li><li><strong>Microsoft: <\/strong>Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.<\/li><li><strong>Spotify:<\/strong> Our mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity\u2014by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Each of these mission statements uses pragmatic language to explain what the organization aims to do. Keep in mind that, as organizations evolve, their mission might change.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many ways to communicate what you\u2019re all about, so it\u2019s important to break it down piece by piece. When working to create a mission statement \u2014 and vision, which we\u2019ll get to next \u2014 you might start by answering these questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Why does your organization exist?&nbsp;<\/li><li>What&#8217;s your purpose?&nbsp;<\/li><li>What\u2019s your vision for a better world?&nbsp;<\/li><li>What\u2019s special about your company that would make the world want to see and actually engage in helping your company succeed?&nbsp;<\/li><li>Why do you get out of bed in the morning \u2014 and why should anyone care?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important to fully understand your \u201cwhy\u201d so you can sell it to others. A solid mission statement reminds your employees what your company is all about.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Share Your Vision<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Whereas mission statements are relatively practical and measurable, vision statements can be more imaginative and idealistic. If your company fulfills its mission statement, how will the world be better?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A vision statement gets down to the true \u201cwhy\u201d behind your company so your employees can envision what this is all working towards.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vision statements often take one of two approaches:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Describe a future <\/strong>that\u2019s inherently and obviously better than today\u2019s world. This works best if the problem is obvious, or if your solution solves any number of problems and you\u2019d like your audience to decide what the solution means to them.<\/li><li><strong>Describe today\u2019s world<\/strong> in a way where a better future seems obvious. This works best if your solution is any number of different things all related to solving one main problem.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some examples of company visions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Apple: We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products, and that&#8217;s not changing.<\/li><li>Microsoft: To help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential.<\/li><li>Spotify: Spotify is a cultural platform where professional creators can break free of their medium&#8217;s constraints and where everyone can enjoy an immersive artistic experience that enables us to empathize with each other and to feel part of a greater whole.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Essentially, the organizations took their mission statements (described previously) and made them dreamier, loftier, overflowing with optimism. By highlighting your vision in your employee handbook, you can help make your employees feel like part of something bigger than themselves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your vision statement may take one of these general formats:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>We want to&#8230; change \/ transform \/ help \/ give \/ ensure \/ etc. \u2026 or;&nbsp;<\/li><li>We envision a world where\u2026&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Note:<\/em><\/strong> Your vision doesn\u2019t have to be original or a big change-the-world vision.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is your chance to inspire \u2014 to say something that resonates with your employees on an emotional level.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Ultimate Why: Your Noble Cause<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So you\u2019ve laid out your mission and your employees can envision how your company helps bring about a future world they want to be a part of. Go above and beyond to tell them one final \u201cwhy\u201d \u2014 why they should care about your mission and why they should care about this future world you describe.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About 70 percent of employees believe their sense of purpose is defined by their work, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/capabilities\/people-and-organizational-performance\/our-insights\/help-your-employees-find-purpose-or-watch-them-leave\">a study by McKinsey and Company<\/a>. Consider the following questions, and try to answer them in your employee handbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Why should they feel good about how their work contributes to the greater good \u2014 to a noble cause?&nbsp;<\/li><li>When their friends ask about their new job, how can they answer in a way that makes them feel proud to be a part of your organization?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Let your employee handbook sell what your organization is all about and why employees can feel good about what they\u2019re doing. If you\u2019ve explained your \u201cwhy\u201d in a way that enables your employees to feel fulfilled when they lay their head down at night, getting buy-in for policies and procedures should be a piece of cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To add even more pizazz to your handbook, check out this post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/how-to-liven-up-your-employee-handbook\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"2796\">How to Liven Up Your Employee Handbook<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For more tips on how to make your handbook a marketing piece, check out our free eBook: <a href=\"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/how-to-write-a-culture-first-employee-handbook\">How to Write a Culture-First Employee Handbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s common to think of an employee handbook as a guide of dos and don\u2019ts \u2014 but it can be so much more.&nbsp; Your employee handbook can be your most valuable tool in making a good first impression of your organization in its entirety. What better time to induce the feels than when new employees [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,25,47,57,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-company-culture","category-employee-handbooks","category-handbook-content","category-hr-resources","category-inspiration-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2785"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2801,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2785\/revisions\/2801"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blissbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}