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Employee handbook generator — a short, plain draft you can actually finish

Most handbook templates are forty pages written for an HR department. A restaurant, a shop or a crew needs something shorter, plainer, and honest about which rules depend on your state. Fill in what's yours, read every section, change what doesn't match how you actually operate.

In short: Fill in the fields, get a thirteen-section handbook draft. Eight sections are marked where the rules vary by state, with a note on what to check. Anything you leave blank stays highlighted so you cannot miss it. Print it or copy it — and check anything you are unsure about before you hand it to anyone.
e.g. Rosa’s Kitchen
e.g. Maria, or "your shift lead"
the state you operate in
e.g. one week
e.g. 4
e.g. every two weeks
e.g. Friday
e.g. a black shirt and non-slip shoes
e.g. Closed, non-slip shoes are required in the kitchen.
e.g. aprons and hats
e.g. pooled and split by hours worked
e.g. two weeks
e.g. text the manager
e.g. Paid vacation is earned after one year.
e.g. Tell us before your shift starts if you are sick.
e.g. the owner, 555-0100
e.g. Employment is at will and may be ended by either side at any time.

A handbook says the rules. It doesn't say how the job is done.That part is a routine — and Tiendo puts it on each worker's phone, in their language, with a record that they read it.

Questions people ask

Is this legal advice?
No. It is a starting draft written in plain language. Employment rules differ by state and by business. The sections where that matters most are marked, with a note on what to check.
What should a small business employee handbook include?
Hours and scheduling, pay, breaks, uniform, tips if you have them, how people treat each other, safety, attendance, time off, phones, discipline, and an acknowledgement page. That is the thirteen sections here.
Why are some sections marked "varies by state"?
Because they do. Break requirements, pay frequency, final paycheck timing, uniform deductions, tip pooling, predictive scheduling and paid sick leave are all set at state or city level. The mark tells you which sections to verify before publishing.
What about the routines — how the job is actually done?
A handbook is policy. How the job is done is a routine, and that is what Tiendo delivers: talk a job through once, and every worker gets it on their phone in the language they read, with a record that they read and understood it.

Policy in the handbook. The job in a routine.

Talk a job through once. Every worker gets it on their phone, in their language, and confirms they read it.

Build a routine free →

Related reading

Employee handbook guideHandbook acknowledgementHandbook translationNew hire paperwork