Looking for download now small business employee handbook template free 28? Dont panic, printable and downloadable free download now small business employee handbook template free 28 we have created for you. Discover exactly what an employee handbook is, why your small business may need one, and what should go in it. We’ll also look at some useful templates and examples to help get you started making your own small business employee handbook. Are you ready to write your small business employee handbook? (Photo source) 1. What Is an Employee Handbook? Treat your handbook with the respect it deserves A handbook can be a valuable tool for your business, or it can be a source of confusion (and even litigation). Treat your handbook with the respect that it deserves as a vital communication link to your employees. Spend time developing it, update it periodically, and have it reviewed by experts. An employee handbook that is built correctly, and includes all of the proper information, is an excellent tool in protecting your business from the myriad of potential legal issues that may arise from hiring employees. Choosing to partner with the Business-in-a-Box toolkit to develop the documentation framework of your business.
While you might be focused on tasks that are driving your top-line, you need to carve out time to formally document procedures and policies to help keep your employees informed. It is essential that your employees know and understand these policies because it can help solidify the success of your small business. Without the guidance and structure that an employee handbook can provide, your team could unknowingly be breaking rules or causing confusing in the office, which could lead to employee turnover
At a high level your employee handbook will:
- Detail important office protocols
- Establish a positive work environment
- Define your unique company culture
Keep reading to learn tips on how to write a small business employee handbook, what to include, and ways you can benefit.
How to Write a Small Business Employee Handbook Step by Step
Your new hire is through the door and eager to get started. During their orientation, you should devote ample time for the new team member to read through their employee handbook. It is an essential first step to proper onboarding. You can make their reading experience easy and effortless by writing a small business employee handbook in a clear, logical structure.
Your employee handbook should be well-organized and broken into distinct sections:
- Introduction, Welcome Letter, and Mission Statement
Consider the introduction as your first impression. In this section, you’ll want to amplify your excitement for your new hire and trumpet your enthusiasm about the company. Aim to place inspiring language that pumps them up to learn about their new job—without sounding artificial or tacky. They likely have a heavy reading load, so keep the tone fun yet professional.
The introduction is a perfect time to include your company’s mission statement. The mission statement should define your core values and inform your new employee about important aspects of the company. If you haven’t written your company mission statement, then devote time to articulate the company’s focus and values so that you have a clear and concise ethos that everyone can get behind (which will help you attract customers just as much as employees!).
- Legal Notices
There are many legal notices you’ll want to include in your small business employee handbook.
You can state these at the beginning and get them out of the way or save them for the end; either way, be sure to touch on these two policies at a minimum, as enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). You should consult your own attorney on what legal notices should be included in the handbook.
- Employment policies
This section of your small business employee handbook breaks down various terms of employment, such as paid time off, sick leave, overtime eligibility, and so forth. If there’s a difference in these structures based on employee tenure, be sure to include that information as well.
Here are some examples of what you’ll find in the typical employee handbook:

- Hours of work
- Behavior expectations
- Dress code
- Remote work policies
- Attendance and punctuality
- Proper Internet usage
- Social media policy
- Company equipment
- Process for filing complaints
- Personnel records
- Email policy
- Telephones
- Substance policy
- Smoking policy
- Alcohol policy
- Safety rules
- Review processes
- Progressive discipline policies
- Compensation
- Payroll practices
- Salary deductions and withholding
- Direct deposit rules
This list is by no means exhaustive but gives you a great starting point to consider.
- Company benefits
Does your small business offer employee benefits? Here’s the place to showcase them. Mention the benefits that the new employee can expect to enjoy, such as employer contribution matching, short-term disability policies, long-term disability policies, life insurance options, and more. If you provide medical, dental, and vision insurance, relay all of the relevant provider information in this section.
Make a note of any retirement plan you might offer, the open enrollment period, and your employer contribution policy (if applicable). Be sure to tell your new employee where to go if they need more information on their benefits packages.
It’s also important to mention vacation and holiday policies and other types of leave, including bereavement and sick leave.
- Disclaimers
Finally, include any necessary disclaimers, such as the process for filing a complaint. Describe the reporting system and make it known that anyone who submits a report will be kept confidential to whatever extent possible. Also let your staff know that any report or complaint will receive a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation. Buy excel for mac download.
Hitting these five steps are essential for learning how to write a small business employee handbook. That said, there’s supplemental information you could (and should!) consider including, such as:
- Ideal work environment
- Employee review procedures
- Promotion and pay raise guidance
- Annual office closures
Your handbook should be exhaustive—but not exhausting. As you’re sure to include all the essentials, be careful not to be overly-detailed or too informative. Keep it light, but concise so that the new hire can quickly read through the material and absorb the information. If your new hire merely glosses over important information, then they could inadvertently skip some key points. According to research from GuideSpark, 43% of workers in Generation Y are not reading the majority of the employee handbook and 33% of non-Generation Y are also not fully reading the handbook. What’s worse, 11% of Generation Y have not actually opened it while 36% of non-Generation Y have no idea where their book is.
As you can see, it’s vital that your handbook is simple yet well-written. This helps ensure you aren’t bombarding your employee with too much information, causing them to close the book for good.
Pro-tip: You might consider sitting down with the new employee during their first week and highlighting areas of the handbook that you believe are of particular importance.
Mistakes to Avoid when Writing a Small Business Employee Handbook
As you begin writing an employee handbook for your small business, be careful to avoid these common mistakes:
- Manual is not user-friendly
It’s important to stress the need for an approachable employee handbook. As we mentioned, be sure it’s well-organized and follows a logical structure—avoid placing in out-of-sync information. Also, steer clear of jargon and heavy usage of technical terms which could affect comprehension. If it’s not easy to read, then chances are it won’t be understood.
- Disclosures are omitted
How to download mods for sims 4 on mac. Be sure to include all of the necessary legal disclaimers when structuring your small business employee handbook.
- Legal review is excluded
On that note, it’s critical to get legal consultation after you learn how to write a small business employee handbook. Failure to include certain information might land you in some legal trouble. An attorney experienced in employment matters needs to review your employee handbook to make sure it reflects the current employment laws, paying special attention to anything that could potentially be read as discriminatory.
The Importance of Learning How to Write an Employee Handbook for a Small Business
So why go through the trouble of writing a small business employee handbook? Let’s take a look:
- Announces workplace rights
These laws can vary state by state, so be sure to check with your local jurisdiction. The Department of Labor and Industry in Minnesota, for example, could be very different from the laws imposed by the Texas Workforce Commission. Your legal team should be familiar with the legislation that applies to your particular area, which makes their role all the more important.
- Outlines work performance
Having documentation in your handbook about many aspects related to the workplace can help guide tough decisions that might be extra hard as a small business owner.
When your team is compact, the relationship between boss and employee can be easily blurred. If someone you’re close to and respect begins to slip up at work, coming in late or performing poorly, it could be challenging to reprimand them and correct the problem. Having clearly stated policies and procedures can help to alleviate awkwardness and potentially hurt feelings by objectively laying it all out there.
Benefits of a Well-Written Employee Handbook
An effective small business employee handbook may not only help to clarify policies like the vacation request process, social media usage, and meal break periods, but it could also provide a slew of more advanced benefits.
Sets expectations: To help keep harmony in the workplace it’s important to set employee expectations and to encourage those expectations equally amongst the team. For example, if you expect your employees to begin the workday at 8 AM and end at 5 PM, but one of your employees consistently shows up at 9 AM and leaves at 3 PM without consequence, this may stir up fury amongst other employees.
Aside from equal treatment in the workplace, well-written expectations could also help to mitigate confusion. Because your expectations and policies are written in the same place and are accessible to everyone, the information may be easier for employees to retrieve at any time and receive the same answer.
Helps employees understand the work dynamic: While everyone needs a little reminder from time to time, it’s important that your employees understand their responsibilities and how their work contributes to the overall business goal. This is especially important for your new hires, as there may be confusion or unfamiliarity with what the definition of company success is. By thoroughly outlining your mission statement, you may be able to strategically stray from potential confusion which could result in a lack of employee performance.
Explains benefits: It’s important that your employees are aware of the benefits that they have and how they can easily get access to them. Letting employees know who their health insurance provider is, where they can find their 401K information, and how to use their vacation time may seem like an overly-simple task, but in the grand scheme of things, it may be worth the effort. According to Thomson’s Online Benefits, 81% of employees who can easily access their benefits said they feel loyal to their employer and 79% say they were proud to work for their organization.
Invites open communication and transparency: Staying true to your mission, purpose, and core values can go a long way in terms of company success. By providing employees with documentation that states the objectives of your company, you’re setting both your business and employees up for success, which could help to mitigate employee turnover and help you keep good employees.
Conclusion
There are many offerings an employee handbook can bring to a small business. From highlighting employee perks and benefits to explaining policies and expectations, an employee handbook is no doubt an essential aspect of your small business’s triumph.
Again, consider the everyday tasks that you are responsible for and the time the tasks consume. As a small business owner, you have minimal time to answer questions that most wouldn’t consider to be “top priority”. If you can create an employee handbook that quickly and thoughtfully answers your employee’s questions as they arise, then you will most likely save time for everyone.
If you need a bit more help when you sit down to create your small business employee handbook, then use these resources to streamline the process.
- Society for Human Resource Management offers a great employee handbook template
- Read about the federal laws that impact workplace issues at The U.S. Department of Labor
- Use the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's handbook for small businesses
- This free model handbook from com
TransUnion ShareAble for Hires Employment Background Checks

If you want to protect yourself and your small business even further and set yourself up for success, then it’s imperative to use pre-employment screening services to learn more about your job candidate. Doing your due diligence to ensure that you’re bringing the most loyal employees aboard not only helps you but helps your company.
ShareAble for Hires is an online employment background check tool from TransUnion that can help you streamline your hiring process. Unlike traditional screening companies who may take days or weeks to complete a screening, ShareAble for Hires provides small business owners with immediate access to crucial information to get a more elaborate picture of their job applicant. ShareAble for Hires empowers the applicant to push their information to you, the employer. That way, you and the applicant are at ease when it comes to sharing personal information (social security number, date of birth, driver’s license number…). Instead of asking your applicant to provide you with this information, the applicant sends it to us and we send you the necessary information to you.
Creating an account and conducting a pre-employment screening is fast. With ShareAble for Hires, there are no sign-up fees, membership requirements, or hidden background check costs. We offer affordable pre-employment screening solutions that offer pay as you go pricing, so you never have to pay for more than you need.
In a matter of minutes, a small business owner can get FCRA-regulated background, credit, and identity verification reports delivered to their inbox that can be used to make hiring decisions. Now you don’t have to wait to make that much-needed hire; you’ll have important and crucial information available to you in a very short amount of time so that you can hire quickly and confidently. With ShareAble for Hires, you can screen now, receive reports now, and hire now.
Every business should follow a set of rules and procedures to keep operations running smoothly. As your small business grows, you will need a strong employee handbook to set expectations for employees. Knowing what to include in an employee handbook ..
Every business should follow a set of rules and procedures to keep operations running smoothly. As your small business grows, you will need a strong employee handbook to set expectations for employees. Knowing what to include in an employee handbook can help you better enforce your business’s rules and policies.
What should you include in an employee handbook?
Creating an employee handbook, or employee manual, allows you to reinforce workplace policies and employee guidelines. Your employee handbook should be simple and straightforward about expectations and employee rules. Outline policies and procedures that are relevant to your employees and business. Tweak your handbook to make it your own. Your employee handbook should specifically represent your business’s expectations. Consider covering the following while creating your employee handbook.
Welcome section
Your welcome section should give a brief introduction to your business and set the tone for the handbook. Your introduction may include your business’s history, core principles, and mission statement. Although this section is not required, it’s a good way to introduce your employee to your company. Arma 3 day night cycle.
Code of conduct
The code of conduct section is a guideline on how your employees should behave, dress, and represent your business. A code of conduct may include a variety of things such as a code of ethics, dress code, and workplace safety. Spell out what you expect from employees. For example, you may require professional business attire. List your dress code in your code of conduct section to inform employees on what is acceptable to wear to work.
Employment laws
Include a section on federal, state, and local laws that your business follows. You should cover your equal employment opportunity responsibilities as well as harassment, drug, and alcohol policies.
Employee classification
There are two different types of employees: exempt and nonexempt. Your employee handbook should explain the difference between an exempt vs. nonexempt employee. Consider also explaining the difference between full-time vs. part-time employees.
Pay policies
Employees will want to know how often they are paid. Clarify how frequently you pay employees (e.g., biweekly) and how many pay periods there are per year. Be sure to mention your pay grade structure and state your overtime policy as well. You may also want to include your payment methods (e.g., check vs. direct deposit) and how employees receive their pay stubs.
Attendance
Including a section about your time and attendance policy is essential. Employees must know different rules on rest breaks, holidays, and unexcused absences.
Time off policy
Your time off policy section should go hand in hand with your attendance section. Include a paid time off (PTO) or vacation time policy in your handbook. Discuss how much PTO or vacation time is earned, PTO accrual policies, and how employees can schedule time off. Your time off policy should cover paid and unpaid time off. Include rules about other types of leave like bereavement leave, sick leave, USERRA Military Leave, and FMLA rules.
Business In A Box Employee Handbook Template
Benefits policy
Providing benefits can improve engagement and employee retention. List small business employee benefits in your handbook so employees know and understand what benefits are available to them. You might include information about health care, retirement funds, workers’ compensation, disability insurance, or employee discounts.
Small Company Employee Handbook Sample
Discipline
You should have rules in place to fairly discipline employees. Outline how you will discipline employees by listing your different tiers of discipline. For example, the first time an employee is late for work, you may give them a warning. However, if an employee is late to work three times in one week, you may give them a strike on their record. Mention what behaviors result in certain disciplinary actions. Include behaviors that lead to termination (e.g., employee theft).
New hire and separation
Cover the basic terms on employment in a new hire and separation section. This section tells employees what to expect when they are hired or if they are terminated. Include information like waiting periods for benefits, how much notice you require if an employee quits, and termination procedures.
Business In A Box Employee Handbook Pdf
Acknowledgment
Black Business In A Box
You should require employees to sign an acknowledgment to be sure they understand everything in your handbook. After your employee reads the handbook, have them sign the acknowledgment and return it to you. Have two copies of the acknowledgment: one for the employee and one for you. The signed acknowledgment will help you if there is ever a legal dispute.
Business In A Box Employee Handbook Sample
Mike Kappel is the CEO of Patriot Software. This article first appeared on the Patriot Payroll blog. https://www.patriotsoftware.com/payroll/training/blog