Creating a booklet design is the perfect way to present an organization's policies and procedures. But how to design a handbook that works for everyone in your company?

This blog post will guide you through the process of how to design a handbook that complements your onboarding process so that you can implement your company policies successfully.

Why an Employee Handbook is Important to Business

Creating a handbook is an important step for any business. This document ensures that everyone in the organization understands the company’s culture, policies and procedures, and even employee benefits.

Establishing clear values is essential for setting expectations within your organization. This includes defining what you stand for as a company, how you want people to behave when representing your brand, and how decisions are made at all levels of the business.

Having clearly defined policies and procedures ensures that everyone knows what is expected of them in their role. This can include attendance guidelines, vacation time allotment, and even dress code requirements.

Taking the time to document company policy will help create consistency across departments while also protecting both employers and employees from potential disputes.

When you design handbooks, be sure to keep them both informative and engaging for the reader. Now let's look at how to design a handbook for maximum impact.

How to Design a Handbook

The first step in booklet design is choosing a format that works best for your business. Do you want a physical booklet design or an online document?

If you opt for an online version, make sure it is easy to navigate and searchable.

When it comes to handbook design, "don’t make me think" should be your mantra. The last thing you want is for employees to be frustrated and confused when trying to find the information they need. That's why having a search bar is so important — it allows readers to quickly locate what they're looking for without needing to scroll through pages of text.

Additionally, anchor points or page-jump links can help eliminate unnecessary scrolling and provide an easier user experience.

It's also important that your handbook design is visually appealing and easy on the eyes. A well-designed layout will make it easier for readers to digest content more quickly and efficiently.

Keep in mind that people tend to skim rather than read word-for-word, so use headings, subheadings, bullet points, and bolded words as visual cues that draw attention toward key pieces of information.

When it comes to onboarding, "show don’t tell" is a key principle. This means that instead of writing out instructions or giving verbal directions, you should demonstrate the process with visuals.

Visuals are much more effective than words in conveying information quickly and accurately.

Videos can be used to explain complex processes in an easy-to-understand way. They also help create a truly seamless user experience by allowing users to see exactly what they need to do without having to read through long lists of steps or instructions.

Don't forget about accessibility. Make sure your document meets all necessary standards (WCAG 2) so everyone can access its contents regardless of their abilities or disabilities. This includes providing alternative text descriptions for images as well as using proper font sizes and colors with sufficient contrast levels between background and foreground elements.

When writing content for your employee handbook, focus on clarity and brevity. Use simple language that everyone can understand and avoid jargon whenever possible.

Make sure each policy is clearly defined with step-by-step instructions so employees know how to comply with company standards.

Breaking up long blocks of text can also make your content more visually appealing. Consider adding diagrams, infographics, illustrations, or photos so readers have something interesting to look at while reading through policies or procedures.

Implementing Your Employee Handbook

Now that you have created your company manual, it's time to implement its contents.

Distributing to All Departments

The first step in implementing a handbook is distributing it to all employees. It’s important that each employee receives the same information and has access to the handbook at all times. This can be done by sending out an email with a link or attachment, printing copies for each employee, or providing digital versions on tablets or computers.

Make sure you have a way of tracking who has read and accepted the policies within the handbook.

Conduct Training on Policies and Procedures

Once your employees have received their copy of the handbook, they should receive training on its contents so they understand what is expected of them as well as the consequences if they don’t comply with company policies. Training sessions should cover topics such as workplace safety, discrimination/harassment prevention, vacation/leave policies, and other aspects of workplace conduct.

Ensure Compliance

Finally, it is important to ensure that your business complies with applicable laws and regulations when creating and implementing a new company manual. Before rolling out any changes, make sure you are aware of any state-specific labor laws that may apply to your business in order to avoid potential legal issues.

To keep up with changes in the business environment, it is important to maintain the company handbook regularly.

Maintaining Your Employee Handbook

Maintaining the handbook is an important part of running a successful business. It’s essential to keep your handbook up-to-date with current policies and procedures, as well as any changes in laws or regulations that may affect your business.

Here are some tips for keeping your handbook current.

Update Content Regularly

Keeping content updated regularly is key to ensuring that employees have access to accurate information about their rights and responsibilities. Make sure you review the handbook at least once a year, or more often if needed, to ensure all policies are up-to-date. Consider setting reminders so you don’t forget.

Make Revisions as Needed

As laws change or new policies are implemented, it’s important to make revisions to the handbook. Be sure to clearly communicate any changes with employees so they understand how these updates will affect them.

It can be difficult to remember which version of the handbook is currently in use and what has been changed since then. To avoid confusion, consider creating a tracking system for different versions of the document and noting when each one was released and what changes were made between versions. This way everyone knows exactly which version they should be referring to at any given time.

Conclusion

It's not enough to know how to design a handbook for your company. It's also crucial to implement it consistently and update it regularly. By doing so, you can ensure that everyone within your organization has access to the same information and policies — which will help create a unified culture of excellence.

Are you an entrepreneur, founder, manager, or operational leader looking for a solution to help your business grow and scale? Trainual can help you document processes and policies and provide superior onboarding, offboarding, and training experiences.

Take action now — contact us today!