Employee handbook outline
An employee handbook tells new joiners how the company works and gives managers one place to point to. Here is an outline in a sensible order, with what to put in each section.
Before you use this template
This is a starting point, not legal advice. Labour law differs between Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and free zones, and changes. Adapt it to your company and have a lawyer review it before you use it.
The outline
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| 1. Welcome | A short note from the founder or manager, what the company does, its values |
| 2. How we work | Office locations, working days and hours, remote work, dress code, meetings |
| 3. Your first weeks | Onboarding steps, probation, who to ask for what |
| 4. Attendance and leave | Link to the leave and attendance policy; how to request leave |
| 5. Pay and benefits | Pay date, payslips, allowances, medical insurance, bonuses, loans |
| 6. Conduct | Respect at work, conflicts of interest, gifts, confidentiality, social media |
| 7. Anti-harassment and equal treatment | What is not acceptable, and how to report it safely |
| 8. IT, devices and data | Passwords and two-factor login, personal devices, customer data, email and WhatsApp use |
| 9. Health and safety | Emergency contacts, fire exits, first aid, reporting incidents |
| 10. Performance and growth | Goals, reviews, training, promotion |
| 11. Discipline and grievances | Link to work regulations; how investigations work; how to raise a complaint |
| 12. Leaving the company | Notice, handover, return of equipment, final settlement, references |
| 13. Acknowledgement | A page the employee signs to confirm they received and read the handbook |
Tips
- Write it in Arabic and English; say which prevails if they differ
- Keep it short; link to full policies instead of copying them
- Never promise more than your contracts and policies give
- Date each version and keep the signed acknowledgements
- In Egypt, discipline rules belong in the approved work regulations, not only the handbook
Put your policies into the system
keyt HR turns your leave types, attendance rules and approvals into settings, so the policy you wrote is the policy that runs, in Arabic and English.
keyt HR: HR, attendance and payrollSee it working