When you, as an employer, are employing staff it’s vital for you to use a company handbook to outline in writing the practices and procedures you want your employees to follow. A Staff Handbook is an easy way to let you put the company’s staff policies into one document.

But when should your company use a company handbook and what should a Staff Handbook contain? We answer the all important questions about how you, as an employer, can outline your staff policies:

When should I give my employees the Staff Handbook?

All of your employees should be issued with a company handbook at the start of their employment and should then confirm that they have read and understood the Staff Handbook.

The Staff Handbook should also be referred to in your employees’ employment contracts.

Can I, as the employer, amend the staff policies mentioned in the Staff Handbook?

You can amend the staff policies in the company handbook at any time.

What does the Staff Handbook contain?

The Staff Handbook may contain a variety of procedures and will vary from employer to employer, but in nearly all cases the company handbook should include the following:

Lawpack’s Staff Handbook covers all such staff policies.

A Staff Handbook can cover all administrative issues, so it’s important that you, as an employer, consider your own needs and requirements when preparing your own company handbook.

It’s quite common, for example, that a Staff Handbook deals with a number of matters, such as the logistics of overtime, taking time off for holiday and public duties, and for taking care of dependants. Your company's Staff Handbook should also include your company's rules on staff sickness and absence, maternity and paternity leave, and parental leave. These arrangements will vary according to your company’s needs, although they will always need to be in line with statutory rules.

If your company wants to have a more detailed staff policy, then Lawpack's Staff Handbook can help. It incorporates the following: 

Should a Staff Handbook outline the use of telephones, email and the internet?

Yes. It’s essential for you, as an employer, to outline in your company handbook the extent to which you will tolerate the use of the telephone, email and internet for personal use. Outlining your staff policy in your Staff Handbook not only reduces the likelihood of employees overusing the telephone, email and internet, but also if they do abuse the system, you are in a stronger position to take disciplinary action against the employee because you can point to a clear procedure in the Staff Handbook which has been violated.

An email and internet policy is included in Lawpack's Staff Handbook but Lawpack's Staff Email and Internet Policy can also be purchased separately.

Further information

Article: Employers: do you know your health and safety duties?
Article: Changing the terms of an employment contract
Article: How to terminate an employment contract
Download: Staff Handbook
Download: Equal Opportunities Policy
Download: Dismissal and Disciplinary Procedure
Download: Grievance Procedure
Download: Health and Safety Policy
Download: Redundancy Procedure


Published on: December 7, 2009