As working remotely gains popularity, companies across the globe have introduced new communication guidelines. The shift has included crafting employee communication guidelines, contracts, bylaws, non-disclosure agreements, and other policies to create clarity right from the beginning. The necessity for a place to lay out the ground for all the company-related topics has therefore emerged which has led to the importance of a remote employee handbook.

A remote employee handbook can help you keep workplace communication smooth and positive by laying out all this information in an easy-to-understand manner. However, creating a solid remote employee handbook is not just about creating a simple guide as you understand by reading this article. 

Whether you already have a remote employee handbook, are looking for inspiration, or just want to catch up with this latest development, the following overview will help you navigate this field by providing great examples of remote employee handbooks. 

An employee handbook gives guidance on company culture, rules and policies, best practices, and everything else they need to know related to working in or with the company. The underlying goal of the remote employee handbook is to create a common ground for all employees when it comes to company issues. You can learn more about the topic of communication in a remote setup in our guide “Your Strategy To Communicate Effectively With A Remote Team”.

The employee handbook can also be used as a reference for employees’ day-to-day. For example, it can help them understand your brand’s voice and vision to deliver better work or check up on a policy to ensure they abide by company guidelines.

An employee handbook is also a great way to communicate with new and existing employees. You can use it to give them the information they might not know, such as new requirements for taking extended times off or where they can go for support if it is needed for a specific topic.

What Is A Good Structure For A Remote Employee Handbook?

Every company has its own unique culture, style, and values. A company's remote employee handbook should reflect this personality. Your writing style is the first indicator of your company’s personality. Thus, you should write to reflect your values and brand. 

For instance, if a company's culture is fun and informal, its handbook may include more slang, creative copy, and conversational language. A company that represents traditional values might use more formal language and include more traditional business values. 

Potential candidates, new hires, and long-term employees should read through the remote employee handbook and feel stronger connected to the company's values, strategies, and roadmap by understanding how the company thinks and operates. 

To achieve this many remote employee handbooks use the following structure

• Company origin story
• Mission & Vision
• Culture & Values
• Understanding of working remotely
• Benefits & Perks
• Legal
• Important company unique topics like diversity and inclusion, climate change involvement, security, travel, etc.  

What Are Good Examples Of Remote Employee Handbooks?

If you don't have an employee handbook, you may be wondering what types of information you should include in your remote employee handbook. 

Here are 10 good examples of remote employee handbooks to help you get started.

1. GitLab - Guide to All-Remote

Company: GitLab Inc. 

Excerpt from the Table of Content:

• The Remote Manifesto
• Why remote?
• Our long-term vision for remote work
• How we built our all-remote team
• Advantages and benefits
• Values
• Handbook-first documentation

One-sentence review: 

For a good reason, one of the most famous remote employee handbooks, it's packed with everything you need to know about working at and with GitLab put together on their website.

2. Remote.com -  Remote Handbook

Company: Remote Technology, Inc.

Excerpt from the Table of Content:

• Values
• Expectations
• Working Async at Remote
• Culture of Documentation
• Benefits & Perks
• Self-care day
• Onboarding Buddies
• Anti-Harassment Policy

One-sentence review:

A great example of a fun and emoji-inspired remote employee handbook skewed towards company & people topics hosted on a notion page.

3. Zapier

Company: Zapier Inc.

Excerpt from the Table of Content:

• How we work
• Remote Life
• Benefits & Perks
• Our Commitment to Applicants
• Culture and Values at Zapier
• Zapier Guide to Remote Work
• Zapier Code of Conduct
• Working On Diversity and Inclusivity

One-sentence review:

An exciting way of addressing new potential hires by highlighting the company's core values and principles on its website. 

4. Posthog -  Handbook

Company: PostHog, Inc.

Excerpt from the Table of Content:

• Company Story
• Strategy, Business Model, Roadmap, Brand
• How we work, Culture, Values, Diversity & inclusion
• People & ops, Compensation, Benefits
• Engineering
• Product
• Design
• Marketing

One-sentence review:

A superb example of a clear and concise handbook that offers full transparency on all company-related topics with an emphasis on transparent compensation calculations.

5. Dropbox - Remote Work Success Guide

Company: Dropbox, Inc.

Excerpt from the Table of Content:

• Our Story
• Your remote work success guide
• Hiring for remote roles
• Land your remote dream job

One-sentence review:

Non-traditional handbook with design-oriented resources that help you succeed at finding a remote job or being a great remote worker.

6. Trello - Employee Manual

Company: Trello inc. / Atlassian

Excerpt from the Table of Content:

• On Your First Day
• Benefits
• Vacations Holidays, And Time Off
• Working Remotely For Trello
• Sexual Harassment Policy
• 2FA All The Things
• Brand Book

One-sentence review:

Creative approach at showing off their product in combination with providing all information new and seasoned employees need.

7. Valve - New Employee Handbook

Company: Valve Corporation

Excerpt from the Table of Content:

• Welcome to Valve & Facts that Matter
• Your First Month
• Teams, Hours, and the Office
• Your Peers and Your Performance
• We Value “T-Shaped” People
• Where Will Your take Us

One-sentence review:

Exact the right balance of warm and welcoming illustrations mixed with in-depth information you would want to read in a handbook about a game-production company

8. Meta - The Meta Code of Conduct

Company: Meta Platforms, Inc.

Excerpt from the Table of Content:

• Our principles are foundational to Meta
• Supporting each other
• Embrace diversity and inclusion
• Innovate responsibly
• Competing and Collaborating
• Engaging with the World
• Achieving our mission responsibly is everyone’s responsibility

One-sentence review:

Detailed handbook on how the company works internally and externally with an emphasis on operating a global product in a safe & transparent way

9. People HR - The Employee Handbook

Company:

Excerpt from the Table of Content:

• About People
• Your First Day
• Managing Your Work Pattern
• Reviewing Your Performance
• Where we’re going
• The Learning Curve

One-sentence review:

Fun and entertaining approach showing new hires how to navigate the company by choosing school-like and humorous design elements.

10. HubSpot - The HubSpot Culture Code

Company: HubSpot

Excerpt from the Table of Content:

• What is culture
• HubSpot Culture Code Highlights
• Mission & Metrics
• We favor autonomy and accountability
• Results matter
• The best teams are diverse & inclusive teams
• We lean towards long-term impact

One-sentence review:

A presentation-like handbook that takes you by the hand and leads you through all their relevant culture and value topics. 

Remote Employee Handbooks Are Important And There’s No One-Fits-All Solution

Since a remote employee handbook is a necessary document for any remote working employee, it is important to get the structure right and ensure that the guidelines are relevant to your employees. 

As we've discovered, there is no one 'right way' to structure a remote employee handbook. However, what we have seen is that the best ones are personal, clear, and concise. They set out relevant expectations right from the start. 

Writing a remote employee handbook doesn't have to be a tedious process. It can actually be quite fun and fulfilling. If you're looking to make your business' policies more visible, straightforward, and consistent, then it's time to consider crafting a remote employee handbook.

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