What is the difference between employee handbooks and policies and procedures manuals?

An employee handbook is written with employees as the intended audience. It is most often written using a straightforward layout for easy referencing of company policies and procedures and is a vehicle for familiarizing employees with basic company policies and benefit programs, as well as the general expectations of the company, including acceptable and unacceptable behavior and disciplinary measures.

A policies and procedures manual is a comprehensive text that details every aspect of company policy, the procedures for following those policies and the forms needed to complete each process. A policies and procedures manual is a reference tool for managers and supervisors. This tool is much more complete in detail than the employee handbook and should be used for back-up when more information is needed to explain a policy or when a deeper understanding of a process is desired. As a benefit to management, the manual can contain references to federal and state laws that correlate to each policy. Managers and supervisors then have access to the rationale for the policies, thus providing them with assistance for enforcement.