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
Ogden, UT 84408
951-704-4789
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.