Synergy Restaurant Consultants has developed restaurant training manuals and employee handbooks that embrace the company’s culture for many years. It can be a daunting task to know what should be included in an employee handbook or company manual. There are so many things that need to be said that often aren’t and also, many things that don’t need to be said that often are. So how do you know what information, and how much of it, should make the cut?

When writing an employee hand book there are many issues to consider. The first of which is that there is a legal component that dictates certain policies must be in place. But these can vary by state and apply (or not).

Once the legal technicalities are out of the way, there should be elements included in the employee handbook that apply specifically to your restaurant organization. These are the organizational components that help define, and then shape the behaviors within your business.

Third, there are informational components – like benefits – that don’t fall (necessarily) into either of the above categories, but that employees need to know about nonetheless.

And finally, the employee handbook should be written in a tone that reflects your restaurant’s brand. Having worked for over 200 national restaurant chains I can’t tell you how many times we’ve seen wonderfully forward thinking, friendly, flexible companies hand over a manual that not only didn’t represent the heart of the company – at all – but that was outright offensive and off-putting to employees. When that happens, it’s usually because lawyers have written it, and writers haven’t. The end result is often a combative and adversarial document that reads like a contract and starts the whole employment relationship off with an “us against them” attitude before it even has a chance to get started. The Synergy approach is to get the laws down correctly and then prepare the manual in the “right” voice.

An employee handbook should be a moral compass and high level guide that defines your brand, best policies, practices and procedures for your organization. When Synergy develops an employee handbook we incorporate basic introductory information to set the mood and welcome employees into your company.

Part Of The Development Includes:

• Introduction to the Handbook
• Introduction to the Company
• Corporate Values, Mission, Vision…

Legal: These are some of the issues that are predetermined for you by state or federal law and that typically require companies to communicate the corresponding policies to employees in writing:

• Employment “At Will”
• Equal Opportunity Employment
• Anti-Discrimination
• Harassment
• Sexual Harassment
• FMLA
• Safety
• Privacy
• Drug and Alcohol Testing
• COBRA

Organizational: These define some of the issues that the restaurant organization expects from employees and what the employees can expect from the company.

• Introductory Period (Many call this a “Probation Period”)
• Attendance and Punctuality
• Professional Conduct
• Dress Code
• Email, Internet and Voicemail Usage Policy
• Smoking Policy
• Eating and Drinking Policy
• Employee Discounts
• Expense Reimbursement
• Travel
• Personal Property
• Workplace Monitoring
• Confidentiality of Corporate Information
• Conflict of Interest
• Employee Development and Evaluation
• Termination of Employment

Informational: This is an important category that impacts your staff.

• Employee Benefits
• Salary Administration
• Paydays
• Holidays
• Deductions
• Meals and Breaks
• Overtime
• Vacation
• Personal/Sick Days
• Bereavement
• Leave Time
• Jury Duty
• Voting

Summary: This closes the employee handbook out with an opportunity to make a statement about the enforcement of the policies set forth within the manual and a place for signatures.

• Maintaining the Integrity of the Policies
• Acknowledgement of Receipt

The key to a successful employee handbook/manual is to create one that “fits” who you are as a company. We have seen the best and the worst of restaurant employee handbooks and strongly recommend that you don’t try to cut and paste from another company as it will set the wrong tone for your company culture.

Restaurant Success Stories

Great Job, and thank you for meeting our very short time line.

Sheila Bliss, Senior Project Manager, HMS Host

My entire management team was extremely impressed with the quality of the up-dates to our operations manual.

David Buescher, President, Old Venice Pizza Company