Creating a company handbook takes a lot of time. You want it to be perfect for any future employee. You want to make sure you cover all of your bases. Besides being able to print a killer handbook for you, our Scottsdale printing company can offer some advice to make sure you put together the best handbook for your employees.
Your handbook should include rules, regulations and any information specific to your company that you’d like to have your employees reference throughout their time at your business.
Here’s some tips to make sure you put it together in the best way possible…
Be conversational – The more you try to sound technical and use legal phrases, the less likely they’ll be to refer back to the handbook. It can be difficult to get them motivated to even read it in the first place. Write it as if you’re talking to the employee. You want to be clear and concise without coming off intimidating or belittling.
Cover the tough stuff – We know it’s important to cover things like sexual harassment and privacy laws (if necessary), but don’t overload the book with things like this. You simply can’t cover all of the necessary legal things so make the handbook more about your company as a whole rather than blanket laws that cover most businesses.
Don’t focus on the negative – While you will have to address issues such as ethics, keep it lighthearted. If a new employee gets the handbook and is faced with 30 pages of what NOT to do, it can be disheartening and portray the business in a negative light. Make sure to keep it friendly and as stated above, conversational.
Include a section on safety – This is especially important if you run a business where employees are working with machines or doing any manual labor. Stress to them how important their safety is to you. Make it clear to them that they can always come to you with any safety concerns. Outline any procedures that will take place should anyone be injured on the job.
Get a legal review – It’s important to look out for yourself while creating this handbook. Once you feel it’s complete, have it looked over by someone who can make sure you haven’t crossed any lines, forgotten anything important or touched on a subject that could put you at risk.
Above all, your handbook is a representation of your company. If an outsider came across your employee handbook, would they get a good feel for how you run your business? Don’t forget you can always amend your handbook as long as everyone is aware that you’ve made changes. Consider writing up a contract that new employees sign when they’ve received their handbook. Then when any changes are made, you can have them sign an addendum.
If you have questions about printing your handbook or would like our expert designers to help you put together a magnetic piece of learning material, call our Scottsdale printing company at 480-596-6300. We can not only help you with your employee handbook, but any other printing needs as well.