What to Include in a Staff Handbook

Rachel Gordon

February 13, 2026

5 min read

Clear communication between employees and business leaders is vital to a business’ success. A thorough understanding of a company’s policies and procedures, as well as their values and ethos, allows employees to know what is expected of them and what steps to follow in certain situations. A staff handbook is a great way to share all of this information at once, making it a valuable and convenient resource with which to communicate with your employees.

In this article we will outline everything you need to know about staff handbooks and provide you with guidance on how you can develop your own.

What is a Staff Handbook?

A staff handbook is a document that contains important information on a company’s policies and procedures as well as an employee’s rights and responsibilities. They are usually given to a new employee on their first day and are designed to provide clear and concise guidance to all employees.

A staff handbook is not a legal requirement, however a business does have certain legal obligations that must be communicated in writing. For example, businesses with five or more employees are legally obligated to have a written health and safety policy. A staff handbook is a comprehensive way to communicate the health and safety procedures and policies that maintain a safe work environment.

Whilst it can be a part of the onboarding process, a staff handbook is different from an onboarding checklist. An onboarding checklist is a guide for the onboarding of a new employee and may include information specific to them and their role, such as the team that they will be working with and the tasks that they will be completing. Comparatively, a staff handbook is a comprehensive overview of a business’ policies and procedures. Unlike an onboarding checklist, it is not individualised and outlines key information on company culture, benefits and rules that apply to all employees.

Why are Staff Handbooks Important?

Since they are not a legal requirement, you may find yourself questioning why staff handbooks are so important. However, don’t make the mistake of underestimating their value. A well-crafted staff handbook sets clear expectations and supports the creation of a safe and legally compliant workplace.

Staff handbooks are important because they:

Communicate policies and procedures to employees
Convey a business’ values and ethos
Explain employees’ rights, responsibilities and benefits
Ensure consistent enforcement of company policies
Demonstrate a business’ commitment to providing a safe work environment
Reduce risk by outlining what constitutes employee misconduct
Help to protect a business from legal claims by serving as evidence of due diligence
Contribute to a positive work environment and culture in which employees feel well informed

Staff Handbook Contents

A staff handbook needs to be specific to your business, there is no ‘one size fits all.’ As such the size and content can differ greatly from business to business. Nevertheless, there are core policies which most staff handbooks include; some of which are legal requirements and others which are common company policies. Whilst legally required policies don’t have to be written within a staff handbook, they must be written down somewhere. Therefore, it is good practice to consolidate all policies, both legally required and company-specific, in one place so they are easily accessible for all employees.

To be compliant under UK law, a business must have policies on the following:

Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discrimination – The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against protected characteristics. Protected characteristics include age, disability, race, ethnicity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status and religion. Whilst employers are not legally obligated to have a written policy, they do have a legal responsibility to meet the terms of the Equality Act 2010 and provide a working environment free from discrimination. It is therefore best practice to have a written policy detailing the steps a business takes to ensure this.

Health and Safety – If a business has five or more employees then it is legally required to have a written statement of the general policy on health and safety. This should include details of any health and safety representatives, how to work safely and, where necessary, how to use equipment safely.

Member of staff reading through a handbook

Disciplinary and Grievance – An employer must have a written disciplinary and grievance policy that clearly defines the procedure when an employee has a grievance or if they are subjected to disciplinary action. The policy should include information on how to appeal a business’ decision and should comply with the requirements of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service’s (Acas) Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. Failure to follow these requirements does not make a business liable to proceedings, however, employment tribunals take the Code into account and may be more likely to rule in favour of an employee if the guidelines were not followed.

Data Protection – The Data Protection Act 2018 controls how personal information is used by organisations, businesses or the government. Employers are therefore legally required to take measures to ensure the safe storage and processing of any personal data relating to their employees. As such, details of how a business does this, including how data is processed, stored and protected should be provided, along with information on employee’s rights regarding accessing their personal data.

The policies listed above form part of an employer’s legal responsibility to their employees. However, there are other policies which a business may choose to include in a staff handbook to inform employees of company-specific policies and procedures.

These may include:

Code of Conduct
Expenses
Dress Code
Overtime and Time Off in Lieu (TOIL)
Annual Leave
Lateness and Absence
Retirement
Redundancy
Bereavement/Compassionate Leave
Substance Misuse
Flexible Working
Bullying and Harassment
Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave
Whistleblowing
Anti-Bribery and Gifts
Modern Slavery
Carer’s Leave
Menopause
Training and Development
Neurodiversity

This is not an exhaustive list and depending on your business you may choose to include or remove policies based on what best suits your needs. Irrespective of which policies you choose to include, they need to be appropriate for the size and nature of your business. It is also important that all policies are well-defined, easy to understand, clearly structured and easily accessible.

The working landscape has changed significantly over the last few years and it is important to have a staff handbook that reflects that. This could mean including a policy on flexible/remote working to reflect changes post-covid or a neurodiversity policy to support neurodivergent colleagues and build a more inclusive workplace. Including these kinds of policies shows prospective and existing employees that you have an understanding of the modern working landscape and that you are committed to sustaining a supportive work environment.

Looking for More?

Our Business Essentials Courses can supplement the policies in your staff handbook. From Data Protection to Basic Health and Safety Training our comprehensive courses support the achievement of best practice in the workplace.

How to Create a Staff Handbook

Given the vast amount of information that it can contain, it can be daunting to know where to start when writing a staff handbook. Nevertheless, it is important to avoid overcomplicating your handbook so that it remains easily digestible for all employees. Below you will find guidance on how to create your own easy to follow, robust and comprehensive staff handbook.

The guidance provides information on how you can go about creating your mandatory policies. You will also find a list of recommended and option policies.Recommended policies are those that are not a legal requirement but are typically found in a staff handbook. Optional policies are those that help you to be a conscientious employer and offer employees more than the required minimum. You can choose which recommended and optional policies you would like to include in your staff handbook but only include policies that are applicable for your business and suitable for your needs.

Remember, your policies need to be appropriate for your individual needs, so take the time to make any necessary tweaks so that each policy accurately reflects your business.

Mandatory policies which you should include in your policy can be developed by following the guidance below.

Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discrimination

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) notes that equal opportunity and anti-discrimination policies need not be exhaustive, but should emphasise your business’ stance on discriminatory behaviour and how you will respond to an incident of discrimination.

They suggest including the following key elements:

An introductory statement clearly showing your business’ commitment to equal opportunities and non-discriminatory procedures and practices.
Mention of all forms of discrimination covered by the Equality Act 2010.
Clear expectations that all employees must respect and act in accordance with the policy and that discriminatory behaviour of any kind will not be accepted and subjected to action.
Emphasis that equal opportunities exist for all job applicants, prospective employees and current employees.
A definition and explanation of the different key terms such as ‘harassment’ and ‘victimisation.’
Details of procedures put in place to deal with complaints regarding discrimination, bullying and victimisation.

Health and Safety

Guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states that health and safety policies should cover three areas:

Part 1: Statement of Intent

State your general health and safety at work policy, including your commitment to managing health and safety and your aims. This section should be signed by you as the employer, or by the most senior person in the company and reviewed regularly.

Part 2: Responsibilities for Health and Safety

In this section, list the name, positions and roles of the people in your business who have specific responsibility for health and safety.

Part 3: Arrangements for Health and Safety

In this section, provide details of the practical arrangement you have in place to achieve your health and safety policy aims. This could include completing a risk assessment, training employees or using safety signs or equipment.

You can find a Health and Safety policy template which you can adapt and use in your setting here.

Disciplinary and Grievance

When writing disciplinary and grievance procedures it’s advisable to follow the guidance from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service’s (ACAS) Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. Failure to follow the Code does not, in itself, make a person or organisation liable to proceedings. However, employment tribunals are legally required to take the Code of Practice into account when considering relevant cases.

Data Protection

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has a privacy notice generator tool which can be used to create a policy that is specific to a business’ needs.

All policies must be adapted to your business to reflect your own settings and procedures.

Below you will find some examples of recommended and optional policies that you may want to include in your staff handbook. The contents of these policies will vary greatly from business to business and so should be tailored to suit your individual organisation’s approach to these topics.

Recommended Policies:

Code of Conduct
Annual Leave
Overtime and Time Off in Lieu (TOIL)
Lateness and Absence
Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave
Bullying and Harassment
Dress Code
Expenses
Anti-Bribery and Gifts
Bereavement/Compassionate Leave
Substance Misuse

Optional Policies:

Retirement
Redundancy
Flexible/Remote Working
Whistleblowing
Modern Slavery
Carer’s Leave
Neurodiversity
Menopause
Training and Development

A staff handbook is a valuable resource which enables you to set clear expectations for your employees whilst providing them with important information on their rights, responsibilities and company benefits. Regularly reviewing your staff handbook ensures that it remains useful and relevant for your business and your employees.