If you want your employees to actually take an interest in the latest iteration of the company handbook, start by reaching out to high-performing workers for ways to make it more relevant and fun to read. That requires a striking balance of need-to-know policy highlights and other helpful learning resources that speak to the brand's voice and culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Below, Forbes Human Resources Council members discuss 16 common mistakes HR leaders make—and should avoid—if they want the company to remain compliant with employment laws, flexible, and transparent with their employees.
Forbes Human Resources Council members weigh in on the subject.
Photos courtesy of individual members.1. It's OverSaturated With Boring Content
An employee handbook is sent to new employees, but it’s rarely referred to after onboarding. Why? Because they’re often oversaturated with lengthy, boilerplate policies that are unwelcoming, and frankly, boring to read. Make an impact with your handbook by using it as a platform to share your brand voice, while prioritizing space for company values, expectations, and employee perks. - Sean Fahey, VidCruiter
2. It Fails To Highlight Important Information
One common mistake HR makes is believing the everyday employee reads or cares to read the entire thing. HR needs to overcome this mistake by creating a highlight card that emphasizes the most important five to seven areas that are truly important for employees broken down into phases of tenure. For example, onboarding can be phases one to three, phases four to six, and more. The need for a handbook never goes away, but the method to communicate it should. - Greg Henderson, Whirks
3. It's Not Current With Evolving Employment Laws
One common mistake in the employee handbook is not keeping it current and relevant to comply with evolving and complex employment laws. Create a calendar cadence to review the handbook and partner with a legal resource. Changes to the employee handbook should then be communicated to the organization, and provide any training to people managers on their responsibilities in representing the organization. - Sherry Martin, Government Administration
4. It's Hard To Gain Access
One common mistake is that they do not know where it lives! It seems so simple, but so much work goes into outlining policies and procedures that organizations don't think about the best location to place it for easy access. If it's a complicated hunt to find it, no one will bother reading it or referencing it in times of relevance. - Megan Leasher, Talent Plus
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5. It Doesn't Reflect The Organization's Culture
Too many companies focus on compliance and forget about making their handbooks an extension of their culture! Fun, engaging employee handbooks can be such a useful tool in orienting employees to how you think and talk about your organization. Tap a small, diverse committee of employees who really “get” the company’s tone and culture to help craft the handbook. Having someone with writing chops helps too! - Ursula Mead, InHerSight
6. Its Policies Exists For The Wrong Reasons
A common mistake is having too many policies that are not relevant. We should have relevant policies that protect the business and create a safe work environment, and by all means, handbooks should exist for all the right reasons. Frivolous policies that exist just for the sake of filling pages or having a policy should be revisited and removed. - Christina Hobbs, American Queen Voyages
7. It's Not Set Up For Consistency
Employee handbooks are binding agreements, so they should only include policies or courses of actions the company is prepared to consistently follow. Use "may" instead of "will" unless you mean that in every single instance you "will." Have your attorney review your handbook for potential liability and consider it a living document that supports your company and your workers. - Courtney Pace, FedEx Employees Credit Assoc.
8. It's Not Interactive
Most often, employee handbooks are seen as a legal document meant to teach employees how to follow the rules rather than a tool to promote company values, purpose and culture. The best way we can do that is to make the handbook interactive. Rather than providing a PDF, how about a living document with videos and links that engage people in a conversation about what the culture is to them? - Jessica Kriegel, Experience.com
9. It's Too Limiting
A common mistake is to create an employee handbook as an instructional manual for every imaginable scenario. This approach limits the actions that can be taken if the situation warrants something different and a lack of consistency in practice causes legal risk. Instead, create general guiding principles, cover the required legal basics and provide the flexibility to make thoughtful decisions. - Kelsey Griffis, Loyal
10. It Lacks Employee Input
One of the greatest mistakes I see made with respect to the employee handbook is the failure of management to involve employees. Creating a focus group of high-performing employees that also contribute can provide insight on what is vague, what is missing or what needs to be clarified. Doing this every year for revamping will bring organizations closer to their cultural and operational goals. - Tiersa Smith-Hall, The Hartling Group
11. It Doesn't Include Any Visuals
Some of the biggest mistakes are not including any visuals. Having all text as the content doesn't draw someone into wanting to sit and read through it. Having it online or available digitally creates a better experience as it can also be interactive to some degree. Digital is the way to go as of late to capture attention and make the handbook meaningful as it is very key to the organization. - Heather Smith, Flimp Communications
12. It's Not Welcoming And Engaging
A handbook is not just a manual of expectations. It's a baseline for communication, culture and values. Go beyond the lens of compliance to create a welcoming guide that embodies your brand's voice. Be sure to use approachable language, include interesting information and keep it simple. The result will be engaged hires who understand and appreciate the expectations from day one. - Sundararajan Narayanan, Virtusa
13. It's Too Static Or Inapt
The world of work is constantly evolving. If your employee handbook is too static and does not adapt to the changes happening around you, it becomes more of a liability than an asset. Make sure your employee handbook is not only accessible but also relevant and therefore a valuable resource. - Natalie Gleeson, LIWA Trading Enterprises LLC
14. It's Not Accessible On Multiple Platforms
HR handbooks are meant to be accessible to all team members, regardless of work location. In some cases, I have seen instances where handbooks are a binder in a reception area and are only available to certain workers. Twenty-first century HR practitioners need to digitize and create a multi-platform accessible document. Doing so will make updating it simple and fluid, increasing the opportunity for engagement. - Christal Morris, Peloton
15. It Doesn't Focus On Human Connection And Inclusivity
When equity and the power of diversity of the employee network are not embedded, the primary focus is on the rules of engagement and codes that employees must adhere to. Instead, focus on people engagement or on the human connection of building better workplace cultures and community partnerships. - Chandran Fernando, Matrix360 Inc.
16. It Doesn't Require Automated Signatures
Digital acknowledgment with automated signature receipts is imperative. Often, key policies that could potentially impact a person's employment, such as sensitive data management, are overlooked (think "fine print") and a breach will result in termination. Intentional digital receipts, reflecting acknowledgment, reinforces the policy criticality. - Britton Bloch, Navy Federal
