An employee handbook, sometimes also known as an employee manual,staff handbook, or company policy manual, is a book given to employees by an employer. Usually, the employee handbook contains several key sections and includes information about company culture, policies, and procedures.[1]
The employee handbook can be used to bring together employment and job-related information which employees need to know. It typically has three types of content:[2]
- Cultural: A welcome statement, the company's mission or purpose, company values, and more.
- General Information: holiday arrangements, company perks, policies not required by law, policy summaries, and more.
- Case-Specific: company policies, rules, disciplinary and grievance procedures, and other information modeled after employment laws or regulations.
The employee handbook is almost always a part of a company's onboarding or induction process for new staff. A written employee handbook gives clear advice to employees and creates a culture where issues are dealt with fairly and consistently.