How to Design an Employee Handbook for Small Business

Employee Handbook

An employee handbook is one of the most important documents that you can put together for your company. Unfortunately, just 26% of small businesses that have 10 employees are fewer and even have one in place. 

This means that if you fall in this category, you’ve got some work cut out for you. Once you take the time to put together one of these handbooks, you’ll be glad that you did. But what goes into the design? We’re glad that you asked. 

These tips will help you create the perfect employee handbook for a small business.

Understand the Importance of an Employee Handbook

An employee handbook is a policy manual that explains some of the most important aspects that your staff needs to know about their job and the company as a whole. It’s a formal piece of communication that lays out expectations, company culture, and what they should know about working for you. 

These handbooks are important to the onboarding process and will become a core part of hiring new employees and communicating with current ones. Here are some key reasons to have an employee handbook:

  • It can protect you from potential litigation
  • Your employees will understand the mission and values of the business
  • Your policies become formalized
  • Explains the employees’ benefits, processes for vacation time, and other important matters
  • Keeps your business in compliance with the law

Knowing the importance of these handbooks will help you create one that will serve your company’s needs and keep your employees in the loop. 

Check Out Some Employee Handbook Examples

Once you are ready to design policies, take the time to look into examples of employee handbooks. Doing this will help you make sure that you’re not missing anything, and that you’re keying in on the details that count the most. 

This can also help you make sure that you’re adding some personality to your book so that it’s something that people will be glad to sink their teeth into. Consider some of these details when checking out an employee handbook sample:

  • Fonts and colors
  • The type of language and word choices used
  • Length of the book
  • Attributes included in the handbook
  • The way it is bound or presented digitally

Don’t hesitate to check out at least three to five different samples when analyzing a handbook. A company like digitalprintboston.com can help you learn more. 

Determine the Important Information

What should be in an employee handbook? This will depend a lot on the type of company you run and what you need to communicate to your workforce. Here are a few must-haves:

  • A welcome and mission statement
  • Policies and human resources (HR) information
  • A breakdown of departments and points of contact
  • Information about breaks and overtime
  • Safety and health-related policies

Knowing what should be included will help you avoid missing anything. Write and revise a few drafts before finalizing your handbook. Go over it with an attorney as well, and never hesitate to update it throughout the years.  

Create an Employee Handbook for Small Business

An employee handbook for small business is one of the most important documents that you can create. Every company needs at least a basic employee handbook, and you can use the information in this article as a good rule of thumb. 

Begin with these points so that you’re able to learn as much as you can about running a small business that succeeds.