Employee Handbook Template Word Google Docs, Small Business HR Policy Manual, Labor Law Checklist, Acknowledgment Tracker, Excel

Seller's description

This employee handbook template helps you write your first handbook knowing which laws apply. A workbook checks 15 federal employment laws against your headcount. The 33-section handbook matches that checklist section by section. An acknowledgment tracker shows who signed which version. It works in Word, Google Docs, Google Sheets and Excel. It is not legal advice.

WHAT'S INCLUDED
1. Handbook Builder workbook (Excel + Google Sheets)
- Your Business: enter your headcounts and 6 yes/no choices.
- Law Check: for 15 federal laws, a Yes / No / Check answer with the official source for each. The laws are Title VII, ADA, GINA, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, ADEA, Equal Pay Act, FMLA, the PUMP Act, COBRA, FLSA, NLRA, USERRA, I-9, EEO-1 and WARN. Each answer uses the agency's own counting rule, and you get a 'within 20%' warning when you're close to a threshold.
- Policy Checklist: the handbook's 33 sections, each with why it's there, a suggestion based on your answers (Include (required), Include, Optional or Leave out), your decision, the final call (Include / Skip / Decide), a state-law flag, progress status and sources.
- Acknowledgment Tracker: up to 100 employees. Status shows Signed, Waiting, Overdue (you set the days), Not given or Re-sign when someone signed an older version.
- Revision Log, plus a Sources tab listing every government page used.
2. Employee handbook template (Word + Google Docs). 33 numbered sections in plain English: at-will, equal opportunity, harassment reporting, accommodation (including pregnancy), lactation breaks, pay and overtime, breaks, time off, leave, conduct, technology, remote work, driving and more. Yellow [OWNER] notes tell you why each section is there and what to check in your state. The wording respects employees' legal right to discuss pay and working conditions.
3. Acknowledgment of Receipt + Policy Update Notice (Word + Google Docs), so you can roll out a mid-year change without reprinting the handbook.
4. Start Here PDF with your 3 Google copy links.

TESTED
The workbook was checked against an independent calculation in 21 automated tests. They include near-threshold headcounts and a full tracker of 100 employees. Google Sheets matched the Excel version cell by cell with 0 differences. The handbook was checked for required content and for wording that conflicts with employees' labor-law rights, and the Google Docs versions were compared line by line with the Word files.

HOW TO GET IT
1. After you buy, go to your Etsy account > Purchases and download the zip. Etsy also emails you a link.
2. Open Employee-Handbook-START-HERE.pdf. Click each link and choose "Make a copy" for Google, or open the .xlsx and .docx files in Excel and Word.
3. Answer the questions on Your Business, follow the Policy Checklist, fill in the yellow [PLACEHOLDERS], and track signatures.

GOOD TO KNOW, PLEASE READ
- Templates, not legal advice. The Law Check covers U.S. federal law only. State and city laws often add rules (for example paid sick leave, final pay timing and meal breaks). The files flag where to check, but they don't include state-specific policy text. Have an employment lawyer review your handbook before you use it.
- Headcount rules have fine print (who counts, part-time workers, related companies), so treat a 'No' near a threshold as a prompt to double-check.
- The tracker records signatures you collect. It doesn't collect e-signatures.
- U.S.-focused. Compatible with Google Sheets / Docs (free Google account) and Excel / Word 2010 or newer, on Windows or Mac. Not designed for Apple Numbers or Pages.
- This is a digital download. Nothing physical will be shipped. Because it's a digital file, returns aren't accepted. If something isn't working, send me a message and I'll help.
- For your own business use. Please don't resell or share the files or links.

HOW THIS WAS MADE
I designed this kit with help from AI tools, which assisted with the formulas, layout and first drafts of the handbook text. I chose the sections and features, checked the law summaries against the EEOC, Department of Labor, NLRB and eCFR pages cited in the files, and tested every workbook calculation against an independent check (21 tests) before listing.