According to the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), new hires are 50% more productive in organizations that have a standard onboarding process. So, your unique onboarding style can have your employees saying, “I have the best job ever!” while you enjoy benefits like a positive work environment, higher profits, and lower training costs.
How can you make this happen for your organization? That’s where an employee handbook comes in. A detailed employee handbook can make all the difference when onboarding new hires and training employees. Here’s everything you need to know about this underrated onboarding material.
What is an employee handbook?
An employee handbook is the ultimate onboarding material. It is a comprehensive guide that provides important information to employees on a company’s work culture, procedures, policies, benefits, and behavioral expectations. Whether it’s in printed or digital format, an employee handbook gives employees a handy guide for answers to all questions they may have about the company’s policies. Therefore, it typically includes the company’s mission and vision, code of ethics, compensation and benefits, safety and security procedures, and employment policies. This serves as a reference point for employees throughout their time with the company.
Why do you need an employee handbook?
Eases employee onboarding
It’s never easy to assimilate into a new environment with specific rules and regulations. The first month is the foundation of the new relationship between employee and employer. However, it doesn’t always have to feel like a puzzle, and that’s where an employee handbook comes in. A detailed employee handbook can be the key to smoother onboarding processes as it introduces employees to your work culture from the get-go. It’s more than just communicating rules. Show your employees that you’re committed to providing a friendly and enjoyable workplace for all employees equally.
Standardizes communication of policies and procedures
One of the best ways to ensure your employees succeed in their individual and collective roles is to provide a definitive guide that leaves no room for guesswork. An employee handbook clearly communicates all the policies and procedures governing operations within your organization. To put it simply, your employees know what to do, when to do those things, and how to do them. This clarity is an important piece in the puzzle of building a successful company. Whether it’s how to communicate challenges, request time off from work, or details on what to expect from management, this onboarding material is the perfect roadmap for how you conduct business and a framework for employee behavior.
Educates on employee rights
An employee handbook encourages a stress-free environment because everyone understands their rights. This definitely saves your HR team the hassle of educating each employee on their benefits and company policies, such as tax payments, health insurance, paid time off, parental leave, 401(k)s, and so much more. Showing your willingness to educate employees on their rights also does a lot for your positive brand image and motivates your employees to enjoy their benefits.
Tips to create and manage an employee handbook
Gather employee feedback
What would your employees want to know about your organization? Your employee handbook won’t fulfill its purpose if it doesn’t address the direct and indirect needs of the target audience: your employees. Therefore, gathering their feedback is important because it ensures that it contains all the relevant information and policies that apply to your business. However, it doesn’t stop there. Laws and regulations change regularly, so you must be up-to-date on those that affect your business operations and update your handbook accordingly. Valuable insights from your employees can help you know what works and what doesn’t.
Ensure the handbook is easily accessible
Using knowledge-management software can help you create an employee handbook that’s easily accessible, thereby encouraging transparency and accountability in the workplace. Handbooks don’t have to be too long, outdated, or complex and can include text, images, video, animations, and infographics.
Use of multimedia elements
Another way to make your handbook easily accessible is to include multimedia elements such as video, images, and audio. For example, complex topics become easier and more relatable when gamified to become interactive. With our current attention span becoming shorter than ever, a simple video explaining how employees can apply for paid leave goes a long way in educating them on their benefits in an engaging way. This helps employees feel more connected to the organization, which greatly increases employee job satisfaction.
If you’re struggling to create interactive and engaging learning content, there’s no need to worry. You can reach out to leading learning agencies like ELM Learning to develop customized content.
Use the right conversational style
Yes, the employee handbook as an onboarding material should cover serious subjects related to your organization. However, it doesn’t have to be boring. Rather than use lengthy text that seems to have no stopping point, consider breaking up text into bullet points or sections. This is great for readability and understanding, ensuring that the reader sticks around until the end. Of course, your tone is just as important. Use a friendly and engaging tone with the right mix of infographics or visuals to clearly represent each point. Also, use plain and understandable language with as little legal jargon as possible.
Choose the right tool to create an employee handbook
A survey by People Matters says that 60% of employees avoid reading company handbooks while onboarding. Ensure your new hire can easily access the company handbook and share their feedback on the content. Not only will that help in employee engagement rates, but your business team can analyze the user analytics to understand user behavior and improve the handbook content. To achieve this, you need to find the right tool. Invest in a good learning management system (LMS), knowledge management system (KMS), intranet platform, or document collaboration tool that can help you create and manage your employee handbook effectively.
Select a tool with the following key features:
- Editing—The team should be able to quickly create new or edit existing content.
- Customization—The portal should be customizable to carry your brand identity.
- Multimedia support—Text-heavy content can be boring for readers. The tool should have features to support embedded videos and images.
- Version control—Updating should be easy, and changes should be easy to audit and track.
- Search functionality—Search features should help users quickly locate the information they’re looking for.
- Analytics and reporting—Effective tools can be used to analyze new trends, collect user feedback, and collect common questions.
- Integrations and extensions—It should allow seamless integration with third-party tools to enhance productivity.
Final Considerations for a Powerful Employee Handbook
Creating an employee handbook is more than just a checklist—it’s a powerful tool that helps set the tone for your company’s culture, values, and expectations. By following the best practices we’ve outlined, you’ll craft a resource that not only informs but also engages your team, aligning them with the vision of your custom eLearning company. Remember, your handbook should evolve alongside your business, so don’t hesitate to update it regularly. With a well-thought-out handbook in place, you can foster a positive, transparent, and productive workplace where employees feel informed, supported, and ready to contribute their best work.
So, would you like to grow and scale your business by providing superior employee onboarding and training experiences? Do it the ELM Learning way. With custom eLearning solutions available, you can create meaningful learning experiences that help you build a happier and more fulfilled workforce.
