Employee handbook
A starter employee handbook covering hours, conduct, confidentiality, time off, and the policies every growing team needs.
Employee Handbook
Effective
Welcome
Welcome to . This handbook describes the policies, expectations, and benefits that shape how we work together. It is not an employment contract and the policies in it may change over time — we will communicate material changes clearly.
1. Mission & values
2. Hours of work
Standard hours: . Specific roles may have different schedules; your manager will confirm what applies to you.
3. Vacation & paid time off
Page 1 of 5
4. Sick & personal leave
5. Remote & hybrid work
6. Expense reimbursement
Page 2 of 5
7. Benefits
8. Code of conduct
All members of the Company are expected to act with integrity, treat each other with respect, follow safe work practices, comply with applicable laws, and protect Company and customer information. Violations may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
9. Anti-harassment, violence & discrimination
The Company maintains a workplace free from harassment and discrimination on the basis of any characteristic protected by Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, or applicable state law. Reports may be made confidentially to the HR contact and will be investigated promptly. No retaliation is tolerated.
Page 3 of 5
10. Confidentiality & intellectual property
All non-public information about the Company, its customers, and its operations is confidential. You signed (or will sign) a separate Confidentiality & IP Assignment Agreement on or before your start date. The obligations in that agreement continue after your employment ends.
Employment with the Company is at-will. Either you or the Company may terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause and with or without notice, subject to applicable law. Nothing in this handbook creates a contract of employment for a definite term.
11. Questions
Questions about this handbook should be directed to .
Acknowledgement
I have received and read the Employee Handbook. I understand that the policies in it may be updated and I agree to follow them as updated.
Page 4 of 5
Made with WalnutsHR Paper · Reviewed for United States (general) · April 2026
Page 5 of 5
Suggestion
No HR contact set. Workplace-violence and harassment policies in most provinces require an explicit contact for complaints — leaving this blank can be cited as a procedural defect.
About this template
An employee handbook is the single document that tells everyone — new hires, long-tenured staff, managers, lawyers, and tribunals — what the rules are. A good handbook is short enough to read, specific enough to act on, and clearly says what's a hard rule versus a guideline.
When to use it
- You're hiring your first or second employee and don't yet have written policies.
- Your team has grown past five people and tribal knowledge is starting to fragment.
- You're preparing for a funding round, an audit, or an HR system implementation.
What to include
- Welcome + mission so people know why this place exists.
- Hours of work and how flexibility is handled.
- Time-off policies (vacation, sick, personal, parental) calibrated to local employment standards.
- Remote / hybrid work expectations, including reimbursement and data security.
- Code of conduct and anti-harassment / anti-violence policies (legally required in many provinces).
- Confidentiality and IP — usually by reference to a separate signed agreement.
- At-will language for US employees; statutory-notice language for Canadian employees.
- Who to ask when something isn't covered.
- An acknowledgement page that the employee signs and HR files.
Frequently asked questions
Should the handbook be a legal contract?
No. Most employers explicitly say the handbook is not a contract and is subject to change. The signed acknowledgement is what matters: it confirms the employee received the policies, not that the policies are immutable terms of employment.
How often should I update it?
At minimum annually. Material legislative changes (Ontario's Working for Workers acts, BC's pay-transparency rules, Quebec Bill 96, federal pay-equity expansions) often require mid-year updates. Track the date of last review in the document footer.
Can I use the same handbook across provinces?
Yes, with care. Either use one handbook with province-specific appendices for time off, statutory leaves, and harassment policies, OR maintain a small set of jurisdiction-specific handbooks and assign the right one based on the employee's place of work. Paper's jurisdiction selector handles the variant language automatically.
Legal disclaimer. Handbooks are read against you in court when something goes wrong. Ontario, BC, federal employees, and Quebec workplaces all require a written workplace-violence-and-harassment policy by law — failing to have one is itself a compliance issue. Have a Canadian or US-state employment lawyer review your final handbook before publishing it, and re-review yearly as legislation evolves.
Related templates
Workplace harassment & violence policy
A statutorily required harassment, violence, and discrimination policy with jurisdiction-specific reporting language and statutory references.
OpenRemote work policy & agreement
A combined policy and individual agreement for remote and hybrid work — hours, equipment, expenses, data security, and jurisdiction of employment.
OpenEmployment offer letter
A jurisdiction-aware full-time employment offer letter. Fillable, exportable as PDF or DOCX, free.
OpenSave it. Brand it. Sign it.
Sign up free to save your templates, brand them with your logo, and send for e-signature — all from your WalnutsHR dashboard.
30-day free trial · No credit card required