Almost every job has an employee handbook that is given to new employees to help them get to know the company, become familiarized with policy, and learn how best to succeed in the company. Unfortunately, the employee handbook isn’t always the most interesting reading material. In fact, many times, employees just don’t read it at all. The issue here is that the traditional employee handbook is often muddled with legal or technical language that isn’t easy to follow. If you want to make sure that your employees actually read and understand their handbook, consider spicing it up a little.
The information contained in the employee handbook is absolutely crucial for new hires and long-time employees alike. But your employees have to actually read the handbook in order to get this important information. A great way to ensure that your employees will read the employee handbook is to go digital. Having a digital employee handbook rather than a physical copy allows you to make easy changes to it, which will be especially useful considering how often employment laws change. Employees are also likely to be more comfortable with a digital employee handbook because it is easy to carry around on a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. It’s also easily searchable, allowing employees to go straight to the information they need.
One of the biggest reasons that employees don’t read their handbooks is because the information is conveyed in a dense writing style. Don’t bog down your employee handbook with legal speak that your employees won’t understand or care about. Of course, there is information that you legally need to include but you can convey the information in a way that is readable and engaging. Offer examples of your code of conduct policy so that employees know exactly what is expected of them and they can have a real point of reference. The text should read as though a real person wrote it rather than simply being copied from a law book. When employees don’t have to fight for meaning in their employee handbook, they are more likely to actually read it.
If you decide to go the digital route, adding some videos is another excellent way to create an interactive and interesting employee handbook. You can use short videos throughout the handbook to illustrate certain points or provide visual examples of various scenarios. For example, you could include a brief video that displays appropriate versus inappropriate workplace attire. This also breaks up the text and keeps employees visually engaged in the handbook. It can feel laborious to read pages and pages of text so adding some variety with videos provides some relief and keeps the employee handbook interesting. Utilizing a multimedia format also encourages employees to physically interact with the handbook and this can help them absorb the information better.
The employee handbook is an important part of your business because it gives your employees the information that they need but that information won’t do them much good if they don’t read it. Get your employees excited about reading their employee handbook by making it interesting and engaging.