About Employee Handbooks
- Each handbook must have an acknowledgment of review by the employee, a document that can be removed and submitted to the human resources department. Employee handbooks need a table of contents that breaks down each section and subsection with page numbers for quick review. After the last page of content, handbook writers should include a glossary of business-specific terms and an index to find pertinent information quickly.
- Employers add details on job evaluations and disciplinary processes early in their handbooks. If a corporation has annual job reviews as well as quarterly departmental reviews, the handbook may feature a sample evaluation form as well as a chart for numeric scoring. A business using peer review boards to handle interpersonal problems between workers may solicit volunteers for these boards and explain the consequences of bad behavior in the office. An increasingly popular aspect of workplace discipline is a "three strikes" policy that allows workers probationary periods to correct personal or professional problems.
- The bulk of an employee handbook's materials comes in the form of administrative documents that explain corporate culture and policies. Employees of large corporations will find flow charts outlining the chain of command from top to bottom including their spots within these charts. A handbook will outline demographic details of corporate personnel including educational background, age and personal testimonials to reinforce recruitment documents. Employee handbooks also outline daily, weekly and annual requirements for hours worked, particularly in salaried jobs. Employees can locate information on maternity leave, vacation, jury duty and other alterations on weekly hours in their handbooks.
- A secondary purpose to creating an employee handbook is to establish accountability among employees for their day-to-day behaviors. An employee handbook lays out the minimum requirements for dress codes, focusing on clothing appropriate for men and women in the typical day. Software companies, publishers and law firms may cover confidentiality and exclusivity agreements that keep employees from speaking about projects outside of their departments. Human resources professionals will include details on sexual harassment, drug abuse and criminal activities that are not allowed in the workplace.
- After an employee handbook is assembled by human resources, each department may add its own materials to get job-specific training started. Software designers and editors who work within narrow standards may receive department-specific guides to smooth the transition. Industrial workers in auto plants can expect to find sizable documents in their handbooks on health and safety requirements. An employee who has to renew or achieve new levels of certification can find a timetable for completing these requirements in order to stay on the job.
