An employee handbook?

I keep thinking about a very modern and real issue: how do you design an amazing on-boarding experience for new employees or freelances (or even advisors) in a remote first organization? I mean, it is tricky if you cannot meet the new person and have a good chat in front of a nice coffee, right? After doing some searching, I found out that some tech companies have created awesome employee handbooks to define what to expect, how to work and where to go in case of need.

Let's dig in.

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Why an employee handbook

If you start to work for a new company (likely a start-up, like ours) and you have no desk neighbor it is hard to ask in-promptu questions and it might seem inconvenient to whatssapp your colleagues every two minutes to ask for your way around. A real-time guide to common issues or questions seems to be the answer. If funny, better!

A great company keen to design a great on-boarding experience and create sense of belonging needs to be (1) transparent, (2) user-friendly, (3) precise, detailed in the information shared (to leave no doubts), and finally (4) unique, reflecting the local culture.

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Examples

I found some great examples on the web:

• Trello: Their handbook uses their own platform (Trello boards) for a visually appealing and interactive experience. It emphasizes transparency, autonomy, and core principles for collaboration, reflecting their company culture. Link.
• Zapier: Their guide to remote work is known for its conversational tone, clear explanations, and focus on employee well-being. It fosters a sense of community and belonging. Link. They also have an additional guide here.
• Dollar General: Their handbook is thorough, covering all bases from minimum working age to leave policies and benefits. It provides a strong foundation for new hires and is easily searchable online. Link (PDF download).
• Netflix: They do not have a handbook per se but a famous cultural deck, "Freedom & Responsibility," known for its honesty and directness. It outlines clear expectations and principles for employee conduct, fostering a culture of ownership and accountability. Link (PDF download).‍
• GitLab: Their handbook is perhaps the most extensive and it uses humor and personality to convey company values and expectations. It creates a sense of connection and reflects their unique culture. Link.
• Valve: Funny, irreverent, no-nonsense, familiar. It is probably the greatest example of how to provide clear information and shape culture in one go. Link.

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Our challenge

As I am adding senior advisors to my team and a new team member (a marketing freelance), I am spending some time to share key values, key cultural points to keep in mind in the early days and I am even following up with single slides with some information. But the work is patchy, it is hard to get feedback to then incorporate and share without filling up the email inboxes of everyone. Individual (synchronous or asynchronous) conversations are great, but concepts need to be repeated to stick.

The solution to keep everyone on track with values, to intentionally design and consume a specific culture, provide useful information without overwhelming in one go and to highlight vision, mission, strategy and key priorities is to create our own employee handbook/remote guide. It will come soon and it will probably be in the Trello format. Will keep you posted.

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Share any other good example you know here: hello@pantar.ai!