An effective employee complaint-resolution policy should: Identify key points of contact. Appoint a qualified person or committee to be the primary point of contact for handling employee complaints; be sure to include that person's contact information in your employee handbook. Outline the steps employees should take prior to filing a complaint. Shop in-store or order online for home delivery or store pickup. Discover how we?ve made it easier than ever to save big on your favorites.
Many companies struggle with developing a handbook that accurately represents them. So if you're stuck in a rut, gain inspiration from these 12 amazing employee handbook examples.
Posted by Katie Yahnke on May 1st, 2018The employee handbook (and the newer, cooler 'culture code') is a great tool for employees, new and existing, to learn the company's mission, values and norms.
The handbook lays out expectations about everything from the dress code to employee benefits to conduct policy. As a result, every employee handbook is unique to the company it represents.
Still, many companies struggle with developing an effective employee handbook. But, with a growing importance placed on company culture, an ineffective handbook can be detrimental to the overall work environment.
What Makes a Great Employee Handbook?
A great employee handbook starts with a great outline. If you don't have that yet,
Writing a great employee handbook requires a thorough understanding of the company and its culture. But no matter the organization, all amazing employee handbooks share a few similar qualities.
- Informative, containing everything from a step-by-step guide to surviving your first day, to common policies and procedures that apply to staff for years to come. In fact, we made a list of
- Easy (and enjoyable) to read. Swap out the jargon and run-on sentences with clearer, simpler wording.
- Designed to accurately represent the company. You don't always need random pop-culture references or comics on every page. Keep it fun and light if that's what appeals to your audience.
Below are 12 amazing employee handbook or culture code examples to inspire you.
(A star denotes a particularly great feature)
Don't gamble with your company's investigation processes.
i-Sight software is a better way to manage investigations. i-Sight is a specialized investigative case management tool to make your investigations more efficient and consistent. Request your demo of i-Sight to find out how users are saving time, closing more cases, reducing risk, and improving compliance.
Request a DemoValve
What kind of list would this be if we didn't give Valve the honorary top spot?
So, what is it about Valve's handbook that entices people to actively seek it out? Why did this 56-page document go viral?
Stop And Shop Employee Handbook
Well, for one, there are plenty of hilarious illustrations throughout the book to keep readers amused, a stark contrast from what is often only page after page of legalese. Also, the handbook truly embodies their 'Flatland' structure for which Valve is so famous: it's easygoing, humorous and truly an enjoyable read.
★ Fun to read
★ Amusing illustrations
Netflix
Netflix's company culture differs from Valve's and, for this reason, their document trades colors for shades and playful humor for blunt statements.
To keep the document light, they've limited each slide to a couple of sentences, pictures, and/or bullet points. The text is direct and straightforward with tons of examples so that the reader knows exactly what being a Netflix employee is all about.
★ Very informative
★ Easy to understand
Trello
In a clever move, Trello created their
The comic book theme carries through from the superhero on the cover to the ads on each page that explain the different company departments. Then, to spice up the policies and procedures section, they turned it into a short story about a grandmother who explains the policy to her grandson.
Zappos is famous for taking cultural fit so seriously that they actually bribe new employees to leave (by not taking the money and staying, the employee is really committing). This prioritization of cultural fit is evident throughout the employee handbook with photos of staff, quotes and real testimonials.
★ Creative theme
★ Fun to read
Pronto Marketing
Yes, that looks like what all the other handbooks include but that's just an overview. Pronto Marketing's handbook is comprehensive – they've even included a table about group health insurance.
Stop And Shop Employee Union
★ Comprehensive
★ Tastefully designed
Disqus
Disqus' Culture Book is available online as a 25-page PDF. The document covers lighter topics using things like images, memes, colors and graphs. For example, the Disqus at a Glance page uses a map to show office locations as well as an easy-to-read graph to illustrate employee growth over time.
In addition to the fun layout, the text is written in a light and conversational way making it relatable and much easier to read.
- Informative, containing everything from a step-by-step guide to surviving your first day, to common policies and procedures that apply to staff for years to come. In fact, we made a list of
- Easy (and enjoyable) to read. Swap out the jargon and run-on sentences with clearer, simpler wording.
- Designed to accurately represent the company. You don't always need random pop-culture references or comics on every page. Keep it fun and light if that's what appeals to your audience.
Below are 12 amazing employee handbook or culture code examples to inspire you.
(A star denotes a particularly great feature)
Don't gamble with your company's investigation processes.
i-Sight software is a better way to manage investigations. i-Sight is a specialized investigative case management tool to make your investigations more efficient and consistent. Request your demo of i-Sight to find out how users are saving time, closing more cases, reducing risk, and improving compliance.
Request a DemoValve
What kind of list would this be if we didn't give Valve the honorary top spot?
So, what is it about Valve's handbook that entices people to actively seek it out? Why did this 56-page document go viral?
Stop And Shop Employee Handbook
Well, for one, there are plenty of hilarious illustrations throughout the book to keep readers amused, a stark contrast from what is often only page after page of legalese. Also, the handbook truly embodies their 'Flatland' structure for which Valve is so famous: it's easygoing, humorous and truly an enjoyable read.
★ Fun to read
★ Amusing illustrations
Netflix
Netflix's company culture differs from Valve's and, for this reason, their document trades colors for shades and playful humor for blunt statements.
To keep the document light, they've limited each slide to a couple of sentences, pictures, and/or bullet points. The text is direct and straightforward with tons of examples so that the reader knows exactly what being a Netflix employee is all about.
★ Very informative
★ Easy to understand
Trello
In a clever move, Trello created their
The comic book theme carries through from the superhero on the cover to the ads on each page that explain the different company departments. Then, to spice up the policies and procedures section, they turned it into a short story about a grandmother who explains the policy to her grandson.
Zappos is famous for taking cultural fit so seriously that they actually bribe new employees to leave (by not taking the money and staying, the employee is really committing). This prioritization of cultural fit is evident throughout the employee handbook with photos of staff, quotes and real testimonials.
★ Creative theme
★ Fun to read
Pronto Marketing
Yes, that looks like what all the other handbooks include but that's just an overview. Pronto Marketing's handbook is comprehensive – they've even included a table about group health insurance.
Stop And Shop Employee Union
★ Comprehensive
★ Tastefully designed
Disqus
Disqus' Culture Book is available online as a 25-page PDF. The document covers lighter topics using things like images, memes, colors and graphs. For example, the Disqus at a Glance page uses a map to show office locations as well as an easy-to-read graph to illustrate employee growth over time.
In addition to the fun layout, the text is written in a light and conversational way making it relatable and much easier to read.
★ Very detailed
★ Unique approach
Hubspot
Hubspot's famous
Hubspot's 128-slide document is filled with images and colors that keep the reader engaged. The beautiful design also helps to explain necessary 'boring' topics (such as intellectual property policies and open-door policies) in such a way that you don't even realize you're reading the policy.
Plus, another theme that we've seen in the above examples is this conversational approach to writing. The goofy and playful culture of the company and staff shines when they say that not only do they commit to their mission and metrics, but they commit maniacally.
Stop And Shop
The slideshow has accumulated hundreds of comments (and thousands of likes) praising it as insightful, inspiring and relatable.
★ Unique approach
★ Easy to read
EF Education First
