How to write an employee handbook that employees will actually read

At some point in my tenure at every organization I’ve ever worked for, I’ve gotten yanked into helping rewrite the employee handbook. I’m sure most communicators have been in the same boat.

There are basically two camps when it comes to employee handbooks:

Camp 1: We’ve had the same employee handbook since the beginning of time. It’s written on stone tablets.

Camp 2: We rewrite our employee handbook each year because it’s the most important document on the planet.

The problem is that both camps usually write an employee handbook that reads like a welcome packet to prison.