PapaHR · Mike Pritula Academy

Employee handbook: template and checklist of sections

New hires ask the same questions: where to get a certificate, how to book time off, whom to go to with a problem. A handbook answers them once — for everyone.

Build the handbook in PapaHR Pricing →

The employee handbook is free in Free, for up to 25 employees.

Tick in the checklist what your company already has.
In PapaHR the handbook is built from knowledge base articles, benefits, request forms and contacts.
Send it to the team — PapaHR shows who has read and confirmed it.

Checklist: sections of an employee handbook

Fill it in right here · Your answers are kept only in this browser. To keep them for the whole team, save them in PapaHR.

Values

3–5 values in plain words
For each — “we do / we do not”
An example from the life of the companyIn PapaHR — from the Culture module, which is in Pro

How things work here

The first day: where to come, what to bring, who meets you
Schedule, remote work, time off and sick leave
How 1:1s and reviews work
Rules everyone must know — as links to the policies

Benefits

What everyone gets and from which day
How to use a benefit

Requests: certificates, trips and more

What requests there are
Where to send them and how long to wait

Whom to ask

HR, the manager, IT, accounting — a name and how to reach them
Where to write if the problem is not solved

Keep it in PapaHR →

Course on this topic Employee Onboarding Course — Employee Onboarding Build a new-hire programme from preboarding to probation review, with clear roles, an employee handbook, check-ins and feedback. $350Open the course →

A handbook is not a rulebook

Write it the way you would explain things to a new hire over coffee: short, friendly, with examples. Legal policies stay separate documents linked from the handbook.

How to keep it up to date

Give every section an owner and review it every six months. Send each new edition with a read confirmation — then you see who knows about the changes.

Questions

How is a handbook different from a knowledge base?

The knowledge base holds all the articles of the company. The handbook is a selection of them that everyone must read, especially in the first week.

Do I need a read confirmation?

For rules everyone must know — yes. PapaHR shows who has confirmed, and a repeat send goes only to those who have not.

What does it cost in PapaHR?

Free in Free for up to 25 employees.

Answers to new hires’ questions in one place

Build the handbook in PapaHR I have an account