By: Miranda Lee
Project Purpose
The purpose of my project was to create an employee handbook in order to help L&L sales create a more defined HR system and employee orientation, while also having company policies and procedures readily available.
My Project
I created an employee handbook complete with different information and policies for new employees and existing employees to have a better understanding of company information in a more available medium. I included things such as dress codes, how to order uniform pieces, accessing their third party payroll account, company mission statements, and more. This book was designed for employees to be able to access at any time for any HR and office related questions.
(I have chosen to share a small sample of the handbook, to keep major company information, policies and procedures private)
Challenges
With this project, I had many different learning opportunities, as I was challenged on exactly what to include in this book. I got stuck at times wondering what was the best information to include, and how to go about structuring information in a way that was clear and easy to understand. I did not want this handbook to be confusing, and did not want it to be an easy throw away. My goal was to make this usable and accessible. With the challenges of how to include information, I did my best to have actual employees read it, and give feedback and ask questions. This allowed me to make a more comprehensive book.
The Project Process
To begin my project, I looked to outside resources, and did several hours of reading and research, while looking at examples from widely-known and successful companies. This helped me create an outline of everything I wanted to be sure to include in the handbook. I created a detailed outline for myself, and began choosing a handbook format that would be clear and easy to follow. As I continued with the handbook, I worked on different sections at a time, and made sure to get feedback from employees on what was working and what wasn’t. I made sure that I was including necessary topics that were asked by the company to have included. I continued each week of this project by working in different topics until I had them complete. After I finished each section, I had two employees look over the book and give me any final notes and revisions.
My Experiences
Throughout this project, I had many different experiences engaging with employees, and learning more about their experiences and their thoughts. Many employees shared personal stories with me, and things they wished they had learned when they first became an employee, or things that they wished more people knew. It was apparent to me that some of the best people with insight on how company policies and procedures should be presented to a new employee, were employees that had been around, and seen changes and growth within the company. I was able to understand a different aspect of the company that I had overlooked.
Insights and Takeaways
From this project, I learned a lot more about writing. Being able write such complicated and complex ideas into a way that is clear and easy to understand is crucial for a communicator and a business. I also learned how valuable the relationship is between business and employee, and why having clear and open communication is crucial for success. With this project, I think I was able to understand internal communication more, and how important it is for companies to establish strong internal communication.