Ok! We've all been in different organizations and have had the opportunity to see different employee handbooks. So what goes into an effective employee handbook? Well, first and foremost, the employee handbook needs to have all the details regarding your organization. When was it founded, who founded it, how has it grown down the ages, how many divisions there are, who heads these divisions, who the company media liaison person is, whether the company is listed on the exchange, what is the stock trading at and other details that will inform your employees about the organization they work in.

Next, an employee handbook must serve as a ready reckoner of all the rules, policies and processes applicable to employees at your workplace. If your employees need to know about work timings and leave policies, they need to be able to find it in the employee handbook. If they need to have the medical officer’s number at their fingertips, it needs to be listed in the employee handbook and if they need the latest information about the bottom line of the company, it needs to be present in the employee handbook.

In addition to the above, most employee handbooks also contain information on a wide variety of benefits that the organization provides its employees. If your organization has different leave policies, the information needs to reflect in the employee handbook. What is your organization’s stand on maternity leave for pregnant women, paternity leave for new fathers, nursing leave for new mothers, do you encourage casual leave and what constitutes emergency leave? All of this should be in the employee handbook.

But to ensure that your employees don’t just look at the employee handbook as a book of privileges, it also needs to list out the duties of your employees. Some of the tips and tricks you could include in the employee handbook are: How to work smart, rather than working hard; the seven habits of highly efficient employees; handling issues at work; Sexual harassment – what you should know and even a few articles on e-mail etiquette, time management, meeting etiquette and the like. And rather than shirk away from sensitive issues like discipline and disciplinary action at work, it is better to list them all down in the employee handbook. This way, your employees too will stay well informed about the various policies of work and how they are affected.

Finally, including something as simple as a daily notes page will make the employee handbook a personal item that your employees can carry with them at all times rather than a tome that they store at home after the first day and forget about ever since. A notes page or even a mini appointment scheduler will be a simple yet effective addition to an employee handbook.

In fact, the employee handbook should contain not just information they need, but also information they can use too! Putting all of this into the employee handbook will not just make it a handy reference tool, but will continuously remind your employees of what a great organization they work in. And happy employees make more productive employees!