Turn your employee handbook into the talk of the lunchroom

Let’s face it, most employee handbooks range from seriously dry to utterly dull. Usually designed to catalogue a list of past problems in the hope of avoiding these in the future, they’re not exactly page-turners.But your employee handbook doesn’t have to read like an instruction manual. If you’re passionate about your company’s vision, policies and procedures, why not share these with your employees in a handbook they’ll actually want to read?Here’s how you can turn your boring employee handbook into the talk of the lunchroom:

1. Give it a catchy title

First up, avoid titles like “Staff Manual” or “Employee Handbook”; while perfectly acceptable, these titles don’t exactly inspire the reader. Consider calling it something that will engage their interest like “The Way We Do Things” or “How-To Survive at Company Name”.

2. Include your Mission Statement

As the reason your employees come to work for your company each day, rather than millions of others, your mission statement should engage your employees both emotionally and intellectually. So begin your handbook with your company’s mission and values, setting the framework for policies and procedures that follow.

3. Personalise your company values

By explaining your policies and the reasons behind them, you’re personalising these for your employees and helping them understand and deliver your culture and values. So instead of simply copying and pasting generic policies on dress code, for example, verbalise the image your company strives to present to its clients.

4. Talk about the perks

Today more and more businesses are realising the importance of making the job about so much more than just the pay check. And where better to present the benefits and perks you’re offering than in your handbook. Your handbook needs to be the dialogue between you and your employees; highlighting to them what they can expect from you and how you plan to invest in them.

5. Present it

Think creative when it comes to presenting your handbook. Print it in colour, use an interactive PDF, include a reward like a coffee voucher, or create a fun introductory video to share with new employees; whatever you decide, make it interesting and readable.While there’s no doubt that employee handbooks are a vital and necessary part of a business, why not use this opportunity to build culture and add value, and help your employees incorporate your vision into their daily work?If you’d like to know more about transforming your company’s important documents, be it handbooks or internal documents; get in touch with the team at Ideaseed. We’re awesome at creating read-worthy, highly designed word documents that remain fully editable so you can change them at any time.