5 key topics of a great employee handbook

Do your employees know what is expected of them? What procedures have you set out as minimum standards for your team, in your business? A large number of businesses have not, to their detriment, put the basic elements of their business procedures down in a manual or handbook.

As your business scales or grows you need to ensure that you have a comprehensive employee handbook, manual or procedures document that sets out your key expectations of the team.

5 key topics for a great employee handbook:

1. Workplace safety

   Every business needs to have workplace safety procedures that are clearly set out. This is especially true if you operate a business in a trade such as construction. They are equally necessary though if you run an office-based business so that every person in the business understands what they need to do to keep themselves and their colleagues safe.

2. Discipline policies

   What do you do if your team member does the wrong thing? These policies need to clearly set out the procedure for team members to make complaints and then how those complaints are to be dealt with.

3. Device use policies

   Everyone has a mobile or tablet device. You need to set out realistic and enforceable rules around how and when team members can use their devices whilst working in your business.

4. Work hours and turnaround time

   Working times have become increasingly flexible, and this means that employers need to set out their expectations so that their team understand their obligations and responsibilities. Setting out these rules in an employee handbook will give certainty and clarity around your expectations so that the team can meet them.

5. Debt collection policies

   Cash is King in any business. The best scenario is to be paid before you do the work. If you provide any credit to your clients or customers, then you need to set out your policies that clearly define what process must be followed to collect the debts owed to your business.

If you want to build a business that is more than just you, then you need to consider what the rules and obligations are for each of your team.

Writing down your expectations in these 5 key areas will go a long way to protecting your employees and your business. The work that you put in to get these employee policies right now will help you build a better team who will, in turn, help you build a great business.