Handbook policy draft

Use this for one policy page at a time.

Record current practice

Ask what the company does today, who it applies to, which countries staff work in, and any existing wording. Note where practice and the current page disagree. Ask who approves the policy and whether counsel must review it.

Draft the policy

• Purpose, in one or two sentences.
• Who it covers.
• What people do, in plain steps.
• Who to ask, and how to raise a problem.
• Effective date and owner.

Use "you" and "we", short sentences, and no legal terms where plain ones will do. Keep it to one page where possible.

Review flags

Mark every point that may depend on local law, such as notice, pay, hours, leave, data, health, or equipment costs, with [legal review] and a one-line reason. List the questions for the approver, and any place where the draft changes current practice.

Never state a legal rule as fact; the draft is not legal advice, and a flag is not a view on what the law requires. Do not publish the page or send it to staff; HR and counsel approve it.