How to write and amend an employee handbook

By Toni Trevett

An employee handbook, or staff handbook, is a written collection and summary of an employer’s policies, procedures and practices.

Handbooks are designed to answer employees’ questions on their employer’s procedures and to avoid time-consuming case-by-case practice design. For example, if an employer has a redundancy policy in its handbook, it will not be under pressure to develop a policy hastily when redundancies are being made. In addition, handbooks help to avoid the risk of having different rules for different employees.

Employee handbooks should communicate how issues such as harassment, discrimination, absence, family-friendly rights and other HR matters are dealt with. They can be used to inform employees about performance expectations, and provide good evidence that employees are aware that certain conduct can result in disciplinary action or dismissal. Employee handbooks can help employers to prove that they have acted fairly in accordance with set policies and procedures and can be invaluable for employers facing a tribunal claim.

In this guide, learn about:

• Design
• Content
• Incorporating handbooks into employment contracts
• Determining whether or not a clause is contractual
• Making and communicating changes
  • Resistance to change
• Variation of contract
  • Termination and re-engagement

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