Staff handbook starter for small employers

What the staff handbook starter for small employers gives you

A staff handbook tells people what is expected and what they can expect. This starter handbook is written in plain language for a small Kenyan employer and covers the topics that cause most questions: hours, attendance, leave, conduct, safety, use of phones and systems, data protection, grievances and discipline, with space for your own details.

Who it is for

Business owners and HR officers writing a first handbook, and growing businesses that want their policies in one place.

How to use it

1. Read each section and fill in the blanks with your own rules.
2. Delete anything that does not apply and add what is missing.
3. Have a lawyer check it, then give each employee a copy.
4. Ask each employee to sign that they have received and read it.
5. Keep a signed or dated copy with your records, so you can show what was agreed or done.

What is inside

• Twelve sections in plain language
• Fill-in blanks for your own rules
• Leave, sickness and attendance rules
• Conduct, safety and data protection
• Grievance and disciplinary steps

The document is a ready-to-print PDF with these parts: 1. Welcome, 2. Hours and attendance, 3. Pay, 4. Leave, 5. Conduct, 6. Health and safety, 7. Phones, internet and systems, 8. Data protection, 9. Concerns and grievances, 10. Discipline, 11. Leaving the company, 12. Acknowledgement. It is laid out for A4, with the headings, tables and tick boxes already in place, so you can print it and fill it in by hand, or type into it with a PDF editor.

Tips for getting it right

• Keep rules short and fair; people follow what they understand.
• Never write a rule you will not enforce.
• Review the handbook once a year.
• Record the date each employee received it.

Why it helps

Staff records go wrong in small, repeated ways: a figure typed twice, a deadline forgotten, a promise that nobody wrote down. A tidy workbook that everyone uses the same way removes most of those problems. It also gives you something to show an employee, an auditor or a labour officer when a question comes up months later, and it makes the next payroll quicker because the facts are already in one place.

Questions people ask

Can I edit it? It is a PDF, so it is meant to be printed and completed, or filled with a PDF editor. If you want to change the wording, copy the text into Word or Google Docs and adapt it to your business.

Is it legal advice? No. It is a practical starting point written for Kenya. Rules change, so check the current position and ask a professional where the stakes are high.

Will it work on my phone? Yes for reading. For filling in and printing, a computer or a PDF app works best.

Keeping it safe and up to date

Payroll records are personal data and tax records at once, so keep the file somewhere only the people who need it can open, and keep each month's copy for at least five years. Statutory rates such as NSSF limits and the Housing Levy change, so check the Rates sheet against the official source before you rely on a figure.

Read how to run payroll for a small business for the wider picture. See more payroll templates or ask us for a custom one.

This document is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice, and it is not affiliated with the Kenya Revenue Authority. If something does not work as described, contact us and we will put it right.

Related guides, calculators and templates

• Guide: How to run payroll for a small business in Kenya
• Guide: How PAYE is calculated in Kenya, step by step
• Guide: NSSF contributions explained: tiers, limits and what you pay
• Another template: Annual PAYE and payroll summary
• Another template: Annual leave balance calculator
• Another template: Annual leave planner and register

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