No matter how small you are, HR Policies and Manuals are an important part of your organization. They reflect your culture and the type of business you want to operate, as well as protect your company should a legal issue occur with an employee. Below are some tips and must-haves for developing HR policies and writing policy manuals. 1) Checklist: Essential Items for Employee Handbook from HR World

"One of the most important features of any successful business is a trusting but professional relationship between the employer and the employed — and one of the best ways to establish this is through employee handbooks. These handbooks set out company policies, procedures and expectations, clearing up confusion and avoiding conflict down the line. Furthermore, they create a structured work environment and help build company loyalty. However, employee handbooks have also been the downfall of many companies. When poorly written, they can do everything from creating a hostile work environment to legally binding an organization to promises it didn't even know it made."

2) Should You Have a Policy Handbook? from Valley Business Report

"'Written policies are the critical foundation for proving work-related misconduct and defending the legality of your actions,' she said.  The handbook provides documentation when you have claims, lawsuits or audits.  It can help a business avoid winnable but expensive lawsuits. Common sense is the basic ingredient when putting together an employee handbook.  Through the use of reasonable and clearly defined procedures, you can maintain employee morale and your company’s reputation while avoiding turnover. 'The rules are there to give the greatest number of people the best chance of working together well and getting the job done,' according to a TWC publication."

3) Sample Policies from Society for Human Resource Management

"A quick place to go to find ideas about policies - Our sample policies may be downloaded and modified for use in your organization. Please note that these policies are samples and intended as such. All new policies should be reviewed by your legal counsel for compliance with federal and state laws and regulations and should be modified to suit your organization’s culture, industry, and practices."

4) Tips on Writing User Manuals from Your Dictionary

"Writing user manuals can be a difficult task, and yet you want to ensure that the user manual you write actually helps someone and is user friendly. You do not want to leave the readers wondering about more than what they were trying to understand when they came to your user manual for help in the first place. Writing a good user manual requires good technical writing."

5) Creating an Employment Manual from Microsoft Office

"At the most basic level, employment manuals help employees understand policies and procedures. Because an employment manual is also a legal document, however, human resources must collaborate with legal counsel to make sure that the manual meets all employment laws, contains the proper wording, and covers all relevant topics."