How to write an employee handbook Include your company's mission statement. Write a brief section on company history. State any legal declarations. Explain your dress code. Include details about work hours. Define duties. Include department-specific policies. Describe company benefits.
If you need to produce physical manuals, FrameMaker or InDesign (if they are shorter, quick start manuals) will do a good job. You can get away with Word, but the page layout features are not as good.
The standard sections of an employee handbook include Preface, Company Profile, Orientation & First Day, Health & Safety, Classifications & Schedules, Compensation & Benefits, Leave, Performance, Appropriate Use, Conduct & Company Policy, Discipline & Termination, Glossary, and Agreement.
Once the employer has updated the policies and formalized the common practices, legal counsel should review them, and HR should use these final policies for developing the employee handbook. Employers should also consider the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rulings and guidance pertaining to employee handbooks.