Yet, in an era where employees are more likely to scroll and click than read and absorb, is the traditional handbook approach still effective?
Many organisations still require employees to acknowledge that they have read their handbook, in the same way as we accept terms and conditions before using a product or service.
However, as with Ts and Cs, the reality is that many employees skim through these meticulously drafted documents, or ignore them entirely, before ticking the acknowledgement box.
Read more: Workplace culture: values matter
This is perhaps unsurprising, as the size of handbooks has increased significantly over the years, expanding in response to union negotiations, legal updates and shifting workplace trends, while at the same time readers' attention spans have contracted.
Workplace policies have also evolved dramatically over the past few decades to accommodate everything from guidance on e-communications and social media usage to hybrid working requirements and speaking up on sexual harassment and other inappropriate conduct.
The profound nature of these shifts in working practices and behavioural expectations underscores the need to ensure that employees truly understand and engage with workplace rules, rather than just acknowledge them.
Fortunately, modern technology does offer businesses alternative ways to communicate their policies, in clear, accessible and engaging ways, as well as ways of measuring engagement and understanding.
For example, some employers are replacing lengthy static documents with online HR portals where policies are searchable, interactive and regularly updated, as well as infographics and videos that summarise key policies.
Others have introduced chatbots that can provide 24/7 instant answers to workplace questions.
Chatbots are not yet a complete replacement for HR-led personalised guidance, however, and financial and legal matters, such as individualised redundancy pay calculations, still typically require human oversight and formal sign-off, so employers should be careful about how these are deployed.
Read more: How to increase engagement with compliance learning
Rather than a static, all-encompassing handbook, commonly employers are adopting a modular approach, where employees receive bite-sized policy updates in the form of focused communications, as needed.
While these innovative approaches are gaining traction across workplaces, it may not be wise to completely abandon the employee handbook just yet.
As employment law continues to evolve, and regulators are becoming increasingly interested in workplace conduct, having documented policies remains crucial for legal protection.
This is particularly true in tribunal settings where clear, detailed documentation of policies and rules can make all the difference.
The solution to this need to be comprehensive versus the reality that succinct information has the greatest impact, may lie in a hybrid approach.
Read more: Bad employee handbooks and policing staff go into HR Room 101
Accordingly, some organisations are adopting a compliance-focused handbook alongside a more engaging culture guide.
However employers decide to deploy them, handbooks should be living documents that evolve with the organisation and use language that ensures all employees feel included.
So while the traditional employee handbook isn't disappearing entirely, it is evolving to meet the needs of a modern workforce.
Businesses in regulated industries in particular should be aware of the significant risks of their employees failing to comply with workplace rules, and seek to reimagine how these rules are communicated and understood – if they haven't already.
Those who embrace this transformation stand to improve policy compliance and gain a significant advantage in employee engagement and retention in an increasingly competitive talent market.
By Sarah Jackman, a counsel for Dentons' people, reward and mobility team
