A handbook says what the rules are. Standard operating procedures say how each task is done, step by step, and the two read best when they share a voice and a layout. The rest of what we write is on the copywriting page.
Staff handbook
Rules people can actually find.
A staff handbook sets out how your workplace runs, from holidays to grievances. We write and lay it out from the facts you give us.
What it covers
What goes into a staff handbook?
A welcome, how the organisation works and the policies every employee must know, from hours and leave to conduct, data and what to do when something goes wrong.
Our staff handbook and HR policy writing works from facts you supply: your contracts, your current rules and how things are actually done. Employment law differs between the UK, the USA and South Africa, and we are writers, not lawyers, so your HR adviser or lawyer checks the wording before it is issued.
Policies
Which HR policies do employers usually include?
| Policy | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Hours, pay and leave | Working time, overtime, annual and parental leave, public holidays |
| Absence and sickness | Who to tell, by when, what evidence is needed, how pay works |
| Conduct, disciplinary and grievance | What is expected, what happens when it is not, how to complain |
| Equality and anti-harassment | Behaviour towards colleagues and customers, and how to report a breach |
| Health and safety | Responsibilities, reporting accidents, first aid and emergencies |
| Data, IT and social media | Systems and devices, confidentiality, what staff may say online |
Countries
Is an employee handbook the same thing?
Yes, it is the American term. What the law expects around it differs.
UK
The written statement comes first
UK employers must give each worker a written statement of terms; the handbook holds the policies around it. ACAS publishes the guidance advisers check against.
USA
A handbook, state by state
No federal law requires one, but states set their own rules on written policies, and most American handbooks carry an at-will statement. The US labour department publishes the federal rules.
SA
Beside the disciplinary code
South African employers work to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and are expected to hold a disciplinary code. The Department of Employment and Labour sets the minimums.
How it runs
How do we write your handbook?
Gather the facts
Your contracts, any policies you already have, and a conversation about how things really work.
Write it plainly
One policy per section, in the same order every time: who it applies to, the rule, the process, who to contact.
Your adviser checks it
The draft goes to your adviser in Word, one policy per page. We make their changes and record what moved.
Design and hand over
A designed PDF, a Word master your HR team can update and an intranet version, laid out with the care we gave the Troda profile.
Questions
Questions about staff handbooks
Question not here? Send it to us and we will answer it directly.
Ask a questionHow do we start a staff handbook?
Email hello@redfoxbranding.com or fill in the project form and tell us how many people you employ, in which countries and which policies you already have. We send a fixed quote in GBP, USD or ZAR and a list of what we will need from you.
Do you give legal advice?
No. We write and design the handbook from the facts and rules you give us, and your HR adviser or employment lawyer confirms that the wording meets the law where you employ people. We point out where a policy usually needs that review.
Can one handbook cover staff in more than one country?
Yes. A shared core carries your values, conduct standards and the policies that do not change with borders. A short country section then holds what differs, such as leave entitlements and the local grievance route, each checked by an adviser in that country.
Can you update the handbook we already have?
Yes. We read it, mark what is out of date, missing or hard to follow, and rewrite it in one consistent voice and layout. Policies your adviser has already approved stay as they are unless you ask us to touch them.
Procedures to go with it?
Get a quote for your staff handbook
Tell us how many people you employ, where they work and which policies you already have. You get a fixed quote, a list of the facts we need and a plan for your adviser’s review. From those facts we write and design a staff handbook your people will actually open.