An employee handbook is where your company's rules, benefits, and expectations live in one place. Beyond being a helpful reference, it is what makes policies enforceable. You can only hold employees to standards they were actually told about. Here is how to build one that works in the Philippine setting.
What to include
- Company overview: mission, values, and how the organization is structured.
- Employment basics: status classifications, probationary standards, and work schedules.
- Pay and benefits: cutoffs and paydays, statutory contributions, 13th month pay, and any company benefits.
- Attendance and timekeeping: how hours are recorded, overtime approval, and tardiness rules.
- Leave: statutory and company leave types, how to file, and how balances work. See onboarding for where this starts.
- Conduct and discipline: the code of conduct and a disciplinary process that follows due process.
- Health, safety, and data privacy: OSH basics and how employee data is handled under the Data Privacy Act.
Make it clear and specific
Write in plain language, use examples, and avoid vague rules that cannot be applied consistently. A policy that no one understands is a policy no one can follow, or enforce.
Keep it lawful and current
Your handbook cannot contract below the minimum standards set by law; it can only match or exceed them. Review it periodically as rules change, and date each version. Confirm anything uncertain with DOLE or counsel.
Roll it out and get acknowledgment
Distribute the handbook during onboarding and whenever it is updated, and have each employee sign an acknowledgment that goes into their 201 file. That signed acknowledgment is what turns the handbook from a document into an enforceable standard.
Keep policies and acknowledgments together
A handbook only helps if you can prove each employee received it. BeavHR keeps policy acknowledgments alongside the rest of the employee record, so onboarding, updates, and sign-offs are all tracked. Book a demo to see how it keeps your policies enforceable.
Related reading
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal or tax advice, and Philippine rules and rates change over time. Always confirm the current requirements with the relevant government agencies, DOLE, BIR, SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, and the National Privacy Commission, or your legal counsel before acting. Last reviewed: July 2026.