HR Policy Starter Pack

Build an employee handbook and adapt the policies to your team. The guide identifies policies with important legal implications, and the workbook checks coverage for your headcount. Once the handbook is ready, distribute it and collect a signed acknowledgment from every employee.

Four pieces for building and adopting your handbook

The Start Here guide shows the order. The field guide explains handbook requirements, the template provides the handbook, and the workbook tracks coverage and acknowledgments.

• Small Business HR Policy Field Guide. How to build and adopt a handbook, select policies for your team, and identify those with important legal implications.
• Employee Handbook Template. A ready-to-adapt handbook with the foundation policies, the at-will statement, and shaded fields to make it your own.
• Small Business HR Policy Workbook. A coverage check for your headcount, a policy adoption tracker, and an acknowledgment log.
• Quick Reference (PDF). The whole workbook on one page, including what each tab is for, what you enter, and how to read the result.

Where to begin

Review handbook requirements, customize the policies, check coverage, and distribute the handbook to collect signed acknowledgments.

• Start with the Field Guide. It covers handbook requirements, at-will employment, equal opportunity, pay and hours, leave, conduct rules involving labor law, and ongoing review.
• Customize your handbook. Complete the shaded fields, keep, customize, or remove each policy, align the handbook with your state, and rebrand the footer. Then run the Coverage Check for your headcount and mark each policy on the Adoption Tracker.
• Distribute and collect acknowledgments. Give the handbook to every employee, collect each signed acknowledgment, and record it on the Acknowledgment Log. Review the handbook once a year and whenever a law or your headcount changes.

Who this is for and other options

Built for

• An owner putting foundation policies and an at-will statement into an employee handbook.
• An office manager responsible for HR who wants a handbook and a clear record of employee acknowledgments.
• An HR lead establishing policies for a growing team.

If you are looking for

• For the full system of records, forms, and trackers, see the HR Operations Binder.
• To organize the compliance calendar, postings, and retention schedule, see the HR Compliance Calendar and Document Audit Kit.

Before you buy

What format is it and can I edit it?

A PDF field guide, an editable Word handbook with shaded fields, and an Excel workbook that also works in Google Sheets. You can adapt every editable file.

What should I do before distributing the handbook?

Adapt the handbook before distributing it. Complete the shaded fields, customize each policy to your business, and remove what does not apply. Have an employment attorney in your state review it before adoption, especially across states or with a unionized workforce.

Does it tell me which policies I need?

The Coverage Check maps policies to your headcount, so you can see which ones your size calls for and confirm what your state requires.

What is the refund policy?

Digital products are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. To request a refund, email support@truestephr.com or reply to your receipt within 30 days of purchase.

What happens after I buy?

Your download link appears immediately after checkout. Your receipt arrives by email with the same link. Open Start Here first for the recommended order. For setup questions, email support@truestephr.com.

How the download works

Your files arrive as a single ZIP download, best opened on a computer. Save it, extract it (right-click and select Extract All on Windows, or double-click on a Mac), then open the Start Here file first. PDFs open in any reader, and editable files work in Microsoft Word and Excel or free equivalents, including LibreOffice, Google Docs, and Google Sheets. No other software is needed. Step-by-step help for every device is at truestephr.com/pages/download-help.

Scope

These working tools and editable templates help you build clear, consistent, and defensible HR policies. Use the handbook and policy templates as starting points, adapting them to your workplace before adoption. A handbook can create unintended obligations, and leave, wage, overtime, sick-time, and final-pay rules vary by state and change over time. Have qualified counsel review your handbook and policies against applicable law before adoption. General HR information, not legal advice.