Tips and Tricks Blog Post

Employee Handbooks- A New perspective

Professional Bio

Skyler Ridley, a former collegiate athlete at Brigham Young University, is an assistant football coach at Weber State University. At BYU he completed a bachelor’s degree in social science, during which he spent nearly three years as a research assistant in the Psychology Department under the direction of Dr. Wendy Birmingham. As an RA he was involved in three publications and presented findings at two Conferences held at BYU. Yet, what he is most proud about during his time as a student athlete at BYU was being voted by his teammates as captain of the football team during his senior season.

Skyler has been a coach at WSU for two years. Along with his on the field coaching responsibilities, he is directly responsible for the organization of the offensive playbook, and is highly involved with in-state recruiting. As a part of his recruiting duties he attends at monthly compliance meeting to further educate himself on college football recruiting, and to stay current with any adjustments made by the NCAA to policies and regulations. To further his recruiting capabilities he has spent time with the recruiting personnel of BYU, University of Utah, Utah State University, University of Virginia, and has had the rare privilege of reviewing the University of Alabama’s recruiting manual with a member of their recruiting team.

Before coaching he worked as an office manager for a printing and marketing company. During his assignment as office manager he was involved with re-writing the employee handbook with three other managers and the owner. Still, it was his love for football and the relationships developed during his time as a player at BYU that created his current opportunity to coach football at WSU. He is currently working with the recruiting coordinator and head football coach to write a recruiting manual that will be distributed to each member of the coaching staff.

Beyond the field, Skyler’s true love is his wife Jasmine. They have been married for almost five years. Jasmine just gave birth to their first child, a little girl named Rowen. As a family they enjoy anything outdoors—swimming, golf, hiking, camping, boating, etc.

Skyler Ridley

3870 Stadium Way Dept. 2701
Ogden, UT 84408
951-704-4789

skylerridley@mail.weber.edu

How do you feel about your employee Handbook?

Every organization, business, or team seeks consistency from its members to deliver high caliber service and results. Some believe this is difficult to accomplish without drastically increasing the burden of employee or team management responsibilities. I believe there is a different way to create consistent unity, success, and positive progressing results without asking organizational leadership to be involved with the minor details of day-to-day work. The way is found through the collaboration, completion and distribution of an employee handbook. Yes, an employee handbook!

Now, let’s face it, most employees view handbooks as treatment for insomnia, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Handbooks do not have to be written in a strictly work-related or bureaucratic context. It does not have to be full of legal penalties or other repercussions for failure to comply with company rules, and it should definitely not be viewed as merely a manuscript full of step-by-step lists describing how not to be fired. In fact, handbooks with the correct motivation can be compiled with creativity and cause further organizational innovation. I understand that the stigmas for handbooks would not exist if there were not companies who took dry and dull approaches during compilation. Here, for example, is something I found that I hope causes a few laughs and helps you to understand how not to write an employee handbook.

“The New Employee Handbook”

Announcement Memo to All Employees: It has become necessary to issue a newly revised Employee Handbook. Here you will find detailed direction addressing your time away from the job. In addition, instructional material is also provided for your behavior and habits in the work place.

SICK DAYS

We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

SURGERY

Operations are now banned. As long as you are an employee here, you need all your organs. You should not consider removing anything. We hired you intact. To have something removed constitutes a breach of employment.

PERSONAL DAYS

Each employee will receive 104 personal days each year. They are called, "Saturday" and "Sunday."

VACATION DAYS

All employees will take their vacations at the same time every year. The vacation days are as follows: January 1st, July 4th & December 25th.

BEREAVEMENT LEAVE

Bereavement is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for your dead friends, relatives or coworkers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend to the arrangements. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early, provided your share of the work is done.

ABSENCE DUE TO YOUR OWN DEATH

This will be accepted as an excuse. However, we require at least two weeks' notice, as it is your duty to train your own replacement.

RESTROOM USE

Entirely too much time is being spent in the restroom. In the future, we will follow the practice of going in alphabetical order. For instance, all employees whose names begin with "A" will go from 8:00 to 8:20; employees whose names begin with "B" will go from 8:20 to 8:40; and so on. If you are unable to go at your allotted time, it will be necessary to wait until the next day when your turn comes again. In extreme emergencies, employees may swap their time with a coworker. Both employees' supervisors must approve this exchange in writing. In addition, there is now a strict, 3-minute time limit inside the stalls. At the end of 3 minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, and the stall door will open.

LUNCH BREAK

A) Skinny People. Skinny people get 1 hour for lunch, as they need to eat more so they can look healthy.

B) Middleweight People. Middleweight people get 30 minutes for lunch, so they can get a balanced meal to maintain their average figures.

C) Fat People. Fat people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time they need to drink a Slim Fast® & take a diet pill.

DRESS CODE

It is advised that you come to work dressed according to your salary. If we see you wearing a pair of $350.00 Prada running shoes & carrying a $600.00 Gucci bag, we will assume that you are doing well financially & therefore do not need a raise.

THANK YOU

Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplation's, consternation's, or input should be directed elsewhere.

Have a nice week.

Management

See more at: http://www.atimetolaugh.org/employeehandbook.html#sthash.gWSyssgm.dpuf

Now, this is an extreme comical example of an employee handbook, which some of you may be able to relate to. However, for those searching to create or alter their current handbook here are few helpful ideas and tips as you begin:

Employee Handbook versus Culture Book- A New Perspective

Jim Robinson of Nasdaq stated that “while some companies stick to the tried and true model and leave it at that, other companies take a more inspired approach by turning the stodgy employee handbook into a clear articulation of the company’s vision and culture, with a little style and humor thrown in for good measure.”

Understandable, you may not have any choice but to include certain policies and procedures required by federal, state or local laws, for my current project--NCAA laws and regulations. Still, the handbook doesn’t need to read like a team of robots articulated it. One way to avoid falling into the trap of having it sound like it was spit out from an online employee handbook generator is to create a “culture book.” This is a separate book from the required list of polices regarding worker’s compensation, discrimination, medical leave, etc. The distinction of two different handbooks will be address further in the post.

Example-

Disqus is a worldwide blog comment hosting service for web sites and online communities that use a network platform. They are a good example of a company who uses a “culture book.” This book is used as a means to communicate their vision, values, and beliefs in a way that preserves the unique elements of the “start-up vibe” they have created. Yet, they also have produced an official employee handbook to address things like labor law guidelines, anti-discrimination notices, etc. The culture book used by Disqus is distributed as a flashy PDF full of pictures, graphics, and even memes that reinforce their desired identity.

Check out the Disqus Culture Book

Read more: 

http://www.nasdaq.com/article/6-inspiring-employee-handbook-examples-cm459464#ixzz4ZjV5HnXn

Seven Tips for Writing your Culture Book

1.     Be Creative

George Lois said, “Creativity can solve any problem. The creative act, the defeat of a habit by originality, overcomes everything.” Currently, handbooks in the workplace can bore readers and cause them to lose interest. I believe that a more enjoyable and interesting read would result in employer’s expectations being more consistently met. I am confident in this statement because I have witnessed such an occasion first hand.

When I worked as an office manager I had to resolve an issue of a new employee that failed to follow standard policy when dealing with a customer. When we discussed the experience I asked our undeveloped but personable employee if he had read the employee handbook. He responded, “Yes.” I was surprised by this response because within the first five pages of our employee handbook his experience with the customer, and how it should have been handled, was addressed very clearly. Therefore, if he had read even the first five pages this entire situation would have been avoided. I followed up by asking, “Did you read each page and understand what you were reading?” He hesitated and then said, “Yes, I did, several times actually. It was just hard for me to follow.” He went on to explain that he felt he was reading a boring textbook for a college class that he despised.

About a week later I had career altering experience when talking with that same young employee. I asked him why he felt the handbook was so difficult to read. He used the word “bland” in his response. The synonyms of bland include: weak, tasteless, mild, plain, flat, wishy-washy, and ordinary. When he said bland I realized that there was nothing about the work I was doing or the people I was working with that I wanted to be bland or ordinary. I decided then that our handbook needed to reflect more clearly our company culture and the people working to accomplish them. As our management team began re-writing our employee handbook, we were motivated by one word—creativity.

Example-

Creative writing is any writing that goes beyond the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of writing. Zappos is an online shoe and clothing company based out of Las Vegas. One discussion their founders had when creating the company’s culture book was, “How can we put so much emphasis on culture and creativity and then follow it up with a boring employee handbook?” The answer they came up with was to turn their ordinary employee handbook into a comic book. To spice up the traditional, boring parts of the handbook, they created a story of a grandmother explaining to her grandson how to play nice as a means for communicating all the boring policies and procedures they were required to include.

Check out the Zappos Employee Handbook (video)

2.     Keep it Brief

Part of the struggle we had, at my previous workplace, when re-writing the handbook was making it shorter. A large amount of time was spent writing and re-writing in order to funnel ideas so that the important points were stated in brief and specific detail. Brevity generates focus while reading, which allows for better comprehension. The Lawyers of Pluymert, MacDonald, Hargrove & Lee, who specialize as estate attorneys, know the importance of employee handbooks and making sure they are brief and properly drafted. They state on their website that “employee handbooks should be a staple to any business…they should have enough detail to articulate the parties responsibilities, but should not have so much information that overwhelms the reader.” A handbook can be as small as three pages but as a standard should be no more than 20 pages. Many organizations create two books one for general policies and the other to explain the culture as seen in the following example:

Example-

Nordstrom, a fourth generation family run department store, has compiled a handbook of formal documents to address needs related to its main business philosophy. However, you might be surprised to learn that Nordstrom has created a single card to summarize its entire employee handbook. The card reads, “Use good judgment in all situations.” While this short statement is a nice gesture envisioned to communicate trust in their employees it does reinforce the over arching theme and exemplify brevity.

Check out the Nordstrom employee handbook

For more information on keeping handbooks brief:

http://www.lawpmh.com/why-employee-handbooks-are-important/

3.     Stay True to your Vision, Values, and Beliefs

The vision, values, and beliefs of a company can be expressed through a mission statement. A mission statement serves as a north star that keeping everyone clear on the direction of the organization.  It is a statement that reminds teams their companies exist and what is going to make them successful. To stay true to the mission statement the content of the culture book should always relate back to the theme of the mission statement.

A good question that helped in my experience of re-writing the handbook with my previous employer was, “Where does customer loyalty come from?” We took a look at the brands we purchase from over and over, sometimes even at the expense of our bank account. We found that often the reason we stayed loyal to these brands is because of its values. The most successful brands find the balance between physical and emotional habits that form an incomparable employee to customer experience. When a strong connection is made with customers or clients, many stay loyal for life. These loyal customers often become promoters for your organizations quality work. The common theme of organizations that find success in accomplishing this strong connection are those that stay true to their core values. Below are two of my favorite examples.

Examples-

Jon Wooden, legendary coach at the University of California Los Angeles, said, “Be more concerned with character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.” The Valve Corporation, a video game developer and digital distribution company, is a good example of putting this quote into practice. On the first page of their employee handbook you can find this statement, “A fearless adventure is knowing what to do when no one is there telling you what to do.” The goal of creating a culture is to promote self-management and high character. So as you write, be sure to position early the organizations vision, values and beliefs, then as you funnel ideas make sure those ideas connect to those important beliefs. The graphic below is an example of a company that has committed to stay true to its values.

Check out the Valve Handbook for New Employees (pdf)

For more information on mission statements and core values: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/inspiring-company-mission-statements#sm.0000bijtxpvj3danzti2ewfjtrwq6

4.     Incorporate the Three C’s

As a guideline for writing and organizing a creative culture book it is important to remember the three C’s: clarity, conciseness and coherence. Even with a splash of creativity or memorable flare, anyone who reads the handbook wants to be able to do so quickly.

Clarity is about enabling readers to immediately grasp concepts and meaning upon reading. Conciseness is accomplished when redundancies, needless phrases and clichés are removed. Coherence is about the ability to link thoughts and create a good flow throughout the handbook. When use together, the Three C’s create a story line that is easy to follow.

For more about the three C’s:

http://www.templatezone.com/download-free-ebook/office-policy-manual-reference-guide.pdf

5.     Stay Current

In speaking with the owner at my previous employer, he shared with me that “staying current” has been the most difficult element of producing any type of employee handbook. He spoke about the generational gap and the constant chase to understand the new methods of communication, especially various social media platforms. I would bet he is not the only business owner that has felt behind when it comes to certain aspects of new technology. My previous employer has recently invested in new avenues of marketing and advertising with social media. Along with this investment, new employees have been hired, which are younger and less experienced, but very capable of staying current. Such an investment and plan of action may be something to consider for every growing organization. Still, it is important to mention that with generational gaps and evolving handbooks, cultural reinforcement is critical to successful progression.

Stating clearly on each page when the policy or program was instituted is one of the more pivotal elements to accomplish the idea of “staying current”. This will help management keep track of when a policy, procedure, or program was established and create an effective way to track changes and revisions as they occur. A general rule of thumb is to review the handbook annually. Yet, there may be certain ideas or policies that need to be adjusted on a more frequent basis. These revisions are not strictly confined to content. Annual revisions should included content, format and design, methods for distribution, and how content is communicated to the entire organization. Also related to such revisions, a standard to live by is to provide all members of the organization a copy as soon as the change is made. A signed acknowledgement of the changes should be obtained from each member then copied and put on file.

For more information on staying current:

http://pages.thinkhr.com/rs/276-KTW-573/images/How-to-Build-a-Great-Employee-Handbook-01.0615.pdf

http://blog.peocompare.com/blog/bid/67119/How-Often-Should-Your-Employee-Manual-Be-Updated

6.     Define Organization Terminology

This tip is very simple. Every organization has various terminology, or “lingo”. Have a portion of your cultural book that clearly defines such terms. It is as simple as having a dictionary in your handbook.

Example-

The Motley Fool is a multimedia financial-services company that provides solutions for investors through various stock, investing, and personal finance service. As part defining significant terms this organization defines every word of their mission statement:

Our Purpose

What difference are we trying to make in the world?

“To Help The World Invest - Better.”

Why each word matters:

·       To Help: There are many ways to help. Some active, some passive. Teaching, leading, listening, collaborating, competing, etc.

·       The World: We’re aiming high. This inspires us to serve as many people as possible and compels us to pursue global services.

·       Invest: When we talk about investing, we’re not limited to stocks. Any resource spent, any future planned for.

·       Better: Whatever we do, we should do it better than our competitors, and better than we’ve done in the past. Ever higher!

Check out The Motley Fool’s “The Fool Rules”

For more information on defining terms:

http://policy.ucsc.edu/resources/images/GuidetoWritingPolicy.pdf

7.     Get Employees Involved

The Technical University of Crete published an article describing the importance of employee involvement. In the article it states, “One of the greatest underlying factors in the success or failure of any organization is the power of its people, and how well that power is focus towards meeting the organization’s objectives… Employee involvement is a process for empowering employees to participate in the managerial decision-making and improvement of activities.” The involvement of each employee should focus on three things: communication, involvement, and development. It is easy to confuse communication systems with involvement. “Involvement, however, is more than just the exchange of information. It is the gradual but radical delegation of control to those closest to the process itself. Self-managed teams, autonomous work groups, high performance work systems, are all examples of true involvement.” Employees will often have a more clear perspective on what actually takes place during day-to-day activities. Therefore, their insight can be invaluable to the creation of a book that describes the what and why of a organizations culture.

Personal interviews, detailed task logs, and group brainstorming are effective tools that can be used to involve employees in the collaboration necessary to create a culture book. As the book is updated another effective habit it to ask employees to evaluate the system and activities they are directly involved with and submit those evaluations to management in written form.

For more information on involvement:

http://www.urenio.org/tools/en/employee_involvement.pdf

Interview with Professional: Jerron Hale

Several weeks ago I approached Jerron, a business owner, for an interview regarding the development of his employee handbook. He runs a printing business and employs over 35 individuals and has clients such as Sprint, Mattress Firm, Progressive Financial, Hill Air Force Base, Intermountain Health Care and many more. Upon my request he responded, “It is funny that you should ask about my employee handbook. It is a project I have wanted to tackle for some time.” Jerron has owned his printing business for over 12 years. When he bought the business he admitted to adopting the handbook of the previous owner and for the first eight years of ownership only made small adjustments. However, he shared with me that his daughter works for an accounting firm that has implemented the idea of a culture book and he loved the idea. We discussed some important concepts that he learned from the accounting firm and his additional research. Here are the key points from our discussion:

·      “If culture is your most valuable asset make it big and bold on the first page of your handbook.”

·      Values should be clear and concise. Identify no more than 10 core values

·      Come up with a memorable phrase that encompasses the over arching theme of your core values

·      Collaborate with management team and lower level employees during development stages

·      Update your handbook regularly to reinforce the of collaboration

·      Do not hire or work with anyone that will damage or affect negatively the culture you are cultivating.

·      Design is important. If you have to spend money on an experienced designer then do it!

·      Edit, Edit, Edit!! Get as many eyes on the final product as possible to make sure it is complete and polished.

Jerron was extremely helpful during my research and will be a valuable resource as I create, with the WSU coaching staff, a “culture of recruiting” manual. Jerron played college football and has been highly involved as an alumnus with recruiting and as a parent. As our interview concluded he gave me this piece of advice, “You can never invest enough in your culture. So don’t be afraid to spend a large amount of time in development of your culture book.”

Concluding Thoughts

Filmmaker, Jim Juarmusch, once said, “Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: ‘It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to.’" Take your employee handbooks to a new place by incorporating a cultural foundation and implementing these seven tips.