Hi!
Let me add to the great definitions already provided by the earlier replies.
Small organizations with a few employees do not need the same bulk of policies, systems, and procedures that bigger organizations need. On the HR side, an orgnization with less than TWENTY PEOPLE may only need: 1) an Employee Handbook to clarify the terms and references of employment; 2) a grievance procedure; and 3) a Code of Ethics and Discipline.
Of course every organization, big and small, needs an Accounting Manual and an Administrative Manual.
Orgnizations with plants will need a Standard Work Operations Manual, Safety Manual, and a Security Manual.
Big multinational organizations tend to need an HR Policy Manual, and related Guidebooks, especially if there are subsidiaries or branches in other areas, whether local or overseas.
The HR Policy Manual provides consistency in direction and policies in the eleven (11) critical areas of the HR function.
Best wishes.
Ed Llarena, Jr.
Managing Partner
Emilla Consulting
(helps improve corporate governance worldwide, especially in Asia and the Pacific Region)