Free staff handbook template
A staff handbook template your team will actually use
Download a free, ready-to-fill staff handbook template for small teams. Nine sections cover the questions staff ask most — leave, sick days, conduct, safety, and onboarding — with placeholders you replace with your own policies. No signup, no email gate.
Markdown format — opens in any editor and converts cleanly to Word, Google Docs, or PDF.
What's inside the template
Each section answers a category of questions your staff already ask, so the finished handbook works as a reference — not a PDF nobody opens.
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1. Welcome
About the business and how staff should use the handbook day to day.
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2. Employment basics
Employment types, probation, work hours, breaks, pay cycle, and overtime rules.
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3. Time away from work
Annual leave requests, sick-leave notification, public holidays, and other leave.
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4. Workplace expectations
Code of conduct, dress, phone use, confidentiality, and social media.
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5. Health and safety
Safety responsibilities, incident reporting, and emergency procedures.
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6. Tools, equipment, and property
Company equipment and vehicle use, plus systems and password access.
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7. Performance and growth
Feedback cycles, reviews, and how staff can request training.
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8. Raising concerns
Who to ask first, and the informal and formal complaint paths.
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9. Acknowledgement
A sign-off page so every staff member confirms they've read the handbook.
How to use it
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1
Fill in the placeholders
Replace every
[bracketed]note with your real policies. Delete sections that don't apply to your team. -
2
Get it reviewed
Have a qualified person check the final version for your jurisdiction. A template is a starting structure, not legal or HR advice.
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3
Make it answer questions
A handbook only helps if staff can find answers in it. Upload yours to StaffHQ and staff ask in plain English with cited answers.
The template is step one. Step two is making it answer questions.
Most handbooks fail because staff can't find what they need fast, so they interrupt a manager instead. StaffHQ turns your finished handbook into an AI help desk: staff ask questions and get answers cited to the exact section, and you see which questions the handbook still doesn't cover.
Not legal or HR advice. This template is a starting structure. StaffHQ is an information tool, and your final handbook should be reviewed by a qualified person before you rely on it for employment decisions or legal compliance.
Pilot offer
- ✓ $499 concierge setup to convert/import existing handbook docs
- ✓ $49–$299/mo pilot plans for early SMB teams
- ✓ Concierge setup available now; self-serve document upload coming next
- ✓ No payment details collected until pilot scope is agreed