We recently worked with a company that sought to revitalize their employee guide, which was previously a lengthy and formal Word document.
The new employee guide was to be a useful document for new and current employees with information such as pay & benefits, how to book leave and personal appointments, their development pathway and wellbeing support offered and more.
We revamped the document removing old-fashioned language and made it much more fit for purpose and which supported the Client’s culture.
We added recognisable visuals from the company and actual case studies to support the development section. We gave employees and managers empowerment to make decisions by removing approval hierarchy.
We removed terms such as ‘without permission’, ‘it is the Company’s policy’ and ‘rules’ which have no place in today’s workplace documents!
For example, we changed:
- ‘The Company will decide whether leave will be honoured’ to ‘Holidays are important for your wellbeing so please plan to take holidays throughout the year. Ask your manager about the arrangements for booking leave;’ and
- ‘It is the Company’s policy that your performance and development needs are discussed on a formal basis’ to ‘Your personal growth is important. Please look for opportunities to develop your skills and capabilities for the benefit of you and your team’.
The final document looked great, and the client is confident it will be perceived as a valuable resource.