Understanding Employee Manual vs. Administrative Manual vs. Company Policy: Can You Help Clarify?

Hi seniors,

Can you please help me in clearing my doubt? What is the difference between an Employee Manual, Administrative Manual, and company policy?

Thank you.

Dear Nandhu,

If you search CiteHR properly, you will find lots of information here regarding manuals, policies, etc. Use the search tool, and you will definitely find all the answers you need.

Thank you.

Employee Manual

An employee handbook (or employee manual or staff handbook) details guidelines, expectations, and procedures of a business or company to its employees. In most organizations, it would relate only to HR manual.

Administrative Manual

It is a handbook with details and guidelines for a specific job. It would be more of a user manual with company policy as the base for the same.

Company Policy:

It is a statement of desired standards of behavior or procedure applicable across an organization. Company policy defines ways of acting for staff...

Good attempt,

Let me add some clarifications to this:

HR Manual is also referred to as an Employee Manual. The Employee Handbook consists of a summary of the HR manual in the form of a small handbook.

An Administrative manual is a manual with procedures and systems of an administrative nature, such as Travel Expenses, TA/DA Allowance Rates, provision and maintenance of Infrastructure of the Company, including Air Conditioning, painting of Buildings, Plant and Machinery, Safety Equipment, Tendering procedures, Canteen Utilities, etc.

Company Policy is multidimensional; it depends on different business lines. For example, separate policies are declared for ISO, marketing, HR, etc. These policies are supported by Policy Objectives, Purpose, Statement of Management Intent, and guidelines to accomplish those objectives.

I hope this is clear enough to differentiate.

RashidBhai

Hi Rashidbhai, can anyone provide me with the format of an employee handbook, administration manual, or company policy as I am new to the HR department?

Regards, Ajith