Employee handbook example: the most important provisions

An employee handbook example helps you see which provisions typically belong in such a document: house rules, code of conduct, absenteeism, leave, and safety, plus the link to the employment contract and a unilateral amendment clause. An example is a useful starting point, but you must always adapt it to your own situation and check it against the collective labor agreement. Below are the most important provisions found in a good handbook, along with what to look out for in each section.

The short answer

• House rules: working hours, breaks, dress, use of company equipment.
• Code of Conduct: conduct, integrity, unwanted behavior, complaints procedure.
• Absenteeism: reporting sick, check-up, reintegration.
• Leave: vacation, special leave, application procedure.
• Amendment clause: unilateral amendment pursuant to Art. 7:613 of the Dutch Civil Code.
• Please note: always adapt an example to your collective labor agreement and situation.

An employee handbook example as a starting point

An example provides structure: it shows which chapters you need and how to formulate provisions. However, never copy it blindly. A handbook must suit your organization, your agreements, and any applicable collective labor agreement. A generic example that you implement unchanged often contains rules that do not apply to you or, conversely, lacks components that you do need.

So use the example as a checklist and language aid, and supplement it with the rules that already apply to you in practice.

House rules and code of conduct

The house rules describe daily operations: working hours and breaks, dress code, and the use of the telephone, laptop, and company car. Be specific so there is no room for discussion.

The code of conduct concerns how colleagues interact with each other. This includes forms of interaction, integrity, the prohibition of unwanted behavior such as bullying and discrimination, and a complaints procedure with a confidential counsellor. These provisions provide a framework for taking action when things go wrong.

Absenteeism and leave

In the event of absence, establish the procedure: to whom and by what time the employee reports sick, that he is contactable, and that he cooperates with reintegration. Do not ask about the nature or cause of the illness; that is reserved for the company doctor.

Under leave, you describe the number of (above-statutory) vacation days, special leave, parental leave, and the application procedure. You may not restrict statutory leave entitlements, but you may supplement them. A brief real-life example: an SME with ten employees discovered, after a discussion about outstanding vacation days, that their handbook said nothing about expiration periods; since then, that rule has been explicitly included.

Relationship to employment contract and collective labour agreement

Every good example takes the hierarchy of rules into account. The collective labour agreement takes precedence: the handbook may not deviate negatively from mandatory provisions of the agreement. The employment contract contains the individual agreements; the handbook supplements these with collective rules. To ensure the rules take effect, the employment contract refers to the handbook and the employee confirms receipt.

The unilateral amendment clause (Art. 7:613 BW)

A complete example also includes a unilateral amendment clause pursuant to Article 7:613 of the Dutch Civil Code, usually in the employment contract with reference to the handbook. This allows you to amend the handbook later without having to seek everyone's consent each time, provided there is a compelling interest that outweighs the interest of the employee.

Without this clause, adverse changes generally require the consent of your employees. Therefore, check each example to see if this clause is included and if it correctly refers to the handbook.

Honest recommendation

For a small company without a collective labor agreement, a good example is often sufficient to create a working manual yourself; you do not need a lawyer for that. However, do have a lawyer review the process whenever a collective labor agreement applies, or when formulating the unilateral amendment clause and sensitive sections such as absence monitoring and the code of conduct. An example adopted without verification may contain rules that are not permitted in your company or that are actually missing.

Read more: view the employee handbook, read what an employee handbook is and how drafting one .

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