Employee Handbook
Docs + Word21 pages
Free
- Type
- Document
- Price
- Free
- Pages
- 8 · US Letter
- Style
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Updated
- October 30, 2026
Every page (8)
Overview
Small employers rarely need a hundred pages of legal wording. They need one handbook that tells staff how the business works, how they are paid, when they can rest and who to ask. This template runs to eight pages in a warm, direct voice, with a reason beside each rule and a contacts page at the end.
The sample is the handbook of Yarrowfield Services, a 14-person firm, with 40 contracted hours, 25 days of leave, four weeks of full sick pay after 12 months and clear expense limits. Replace every figure with the terms in your contracts, have an employment lawyer check it, and decide how staff confirm they have read it.
Useful for
- An owner writing a first handbook for a team of 5 to 20 people
- A manager replacing an out-of-date handbook before hiring seasonal staff
- An office manager giving new starters one place to find hours, leave and contacts
What's included
- Photo cover with version, effective date and review date
- Welcome page with owner, reviewer, version and four headline figures
- How we work page with a four-step job process and an escalation route
- Numbered policies for pay, hours and expenses, and for conduct and speaking up
- Holidays and sickness article covering booking, carry-over, sick pay and return to work
- Who to ask page comparing routes, plus a make-it-yours guide
How to use it
- 1
Click Make a copy in Google Docs, then confirm on the Google page. The copy is saved to your own Google Drive.
- 2
Replace the organization name and welcome with your own, then set the version number and review date on the first pages.
- 3
Overwrite the hours, leave, sick pay, expense and notice figures with the terms in your current contracts, and delete sections that do not apply.
- 4
Fill the contacts page with real names and routes for payroll, IT, first aid and speaking up, and check every policy against local employment law.
- 5
Delete the Make it yours page, decide how staff confirm they have read this version, then share the handbook.
What you need
Requirements
- A Google account with access to Google Drive
Works with
- Google Docs
- Microsoft Word (download the .docx)
Questions
Is the handbook part of the employment contract?
The sample says it is not: your contract sets legal terms and the handbook explains how you work. Ask an employment lawyer to confirm which parts are policy and which are contractual.
Can I use it for a restaurant, shop or clinic?
Yes. Keep the core pages and swap the conduct page for your sector rules, such as till procedures, food safety or patient privacy. Delete anything that does not apply.
Are the organization and people in the sample real?
No. Yarrowfield Services, its staff, contacts and every figure are fictional and exist only to show what a finished handbook looks like.
- #employee-handbook
- #staff-handbook
- #small-business
- #hr-policies
- #new-hire
- #leave-policy
- #plain-language
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