Employee Handbook
Meaning & Definition
An employee handbook contains written documents that describe your company’s policies and procedures (including code of conduct), as well as workplace standards. The handbook will help employees understand their job roles, rights, responsibilities and benefits, as well as how the organization will be governed. To ensure effective communication between management and employees, employee handbooks provide employees with clear, consistent, and transparent information about workplace policies and HR practices.
Importance of Employee Handbook
- Explicitly provide communication of organizational policies and work-related procedures.
- Consistency with HR processes and decision-making processes.
- Reduce or eliminate conflict and provide for clarification of policies.
- Onboarding and orienting of employees.
- Provide protection for the organization when dealing with court cases and legal disputes.
Statutory & Policy Alignment
Although an Employee Handbook is not a legal requirement under India’s labour laws, you may be legally required to have certain Policies within an Employee Handbook; these may include:
- Relating to the POSH Policy, the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2013 applies to companies with 10+ employees.
- Relating to statutory leave policies (as per applicable labour law and state Shops and Establishments Act).
Other Policies that are consistent with the company’s HR best practices.
