Hand your team a real handbook by Friday.
Built for PNW service businesses with 5-50 employees. A fully editable Word doc plus print-ready PDF, with policies that already match Washington state law. Set up in about an hour instead of three weeks of legal back-and-forth.
What's inside the handbook
- Welcome letter, mission statement, and at-will employment language you can drop your company name into
- Paid sick leave policy that meets WA RCW 49.46.210 minimums (1 hour earned per 40 worked, carryover rules included)
- PTO and vacation accrual policy with a tier table for tenure-based accrual
- Code of conduct, attendance, and tardiness policy with progressive discipline steps
- Dress code and uniform policy with separate language for shop, field, and customer-facing roles
- Drug, alcohol, and cannabis policy aligned with WA's recreational-use carve-outs and DOT-covered drivers
- Harassment, discrimination, and EEO policy that names protected classes under WA Law Against Discrimination
- Social media, cell phone, and personal-device policy for the field
- Company equipment, vehicle use, and tool accountability section
- Attendance, breaks, and meal-period rules that match WA WAC 296-126-092
- Termination, resignation, and final paycheck timing per WA RCW 49.48.010
- Acknowledgement signature page in English and Spanish for the employee file
Who this is for
- Owners who keep saying "I need to write a handbook" and have been saying it for two years
- Shops that grabbed a free handbook off the internet and just realized half of it cites California or Texas law
- Growing teams between 5 and 50 employees where a verbal "how we do things" no longer scales
- Bilingual crews where Spanish-speaking employees deserve the same handbook in their language, not a Google-translated afterthought
- Trades, construction, auto, landscaping, cleaning, and home-service operators who need policies for both shop and field roles
- Owners preparing for a sale, a bank loan, or an L&I audit and need real documentation, not a folder full of sticky notes
Section preview
From the Paid Sick Leave section: "Eligible employees accrue one (1) hour of paid sick leave for every forty (40) hours worked, in compliance with Washington State RCW 49.46.210. Up to forty (40) hours of unused paid sick leave will carry over to the following calendar year. Paid sick leave may be used for the employee's own illness or injury, to care for a family member, or for absences related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking." That's the actual language in the file. Editable, real, ready to sign.
FAQ
Is this legally binding?+
A handbook isn't a contract by itself — it's a policy document. It becomes binding when an employee signs the acknowledgement page (included). The template is written in plain English, drafted to match common WA state requirements, and includes the at-will language and disclaimers most attorneys ask for. We still recommend a 30-minute review by your local employment attorney before you roll it out, especially if you're in a regulated industry.
Do I need a lawyer to review it?+
Strongly recommended, not strictly required. The template covers the policies the average WA service business needs and is structured so an attorney can scan it in 20-30 minutes instead of writing one from scratch at $300/hour. Most owners save $1,500 to $4,000 in legal fees using this as the starting point instead of a blank page.
What format is it in?+
You get a Microsoft Word .docx (fully editable, with styled headings and a working table of contents), a clean print-ready PDF, and a separate Spanish version of both. Open it in Word, Google Docs, or Pages — all three work. No subscription, no online portal.
Can I customize it for my industry?+
Yes. Every section is written in plain language with bracketed placeholders like [COMPANY NAME], [LOCATION], and [TIER]. Industry-specific add-on language is included for trades, auto, and home-service work — use what fits, delete what doesn't. The dress code, drug policy, and equipment sections are split into shop / field / office variants so you can keep what applies.
Does it cover salary employees vs hourly?+
Yes. The handbook flags exempt vs non-exempt status, separates overtime rules for hourly staff, and includes a salaried-employee section covering expectations, performance reviews, and PTO. The break and meal-period rules call out which apply to non-exempt employees only, the way WA L&I expects.
Does it include the EN/ES version?+
Yes — both. The Spanish version isn't auto-translated. It uses the policy language Spanish-speaking PNW operators actually use day to day, with the same structure as the English version so a bilingual manager can run a meeting in either language without flipping back and forth.
Often bought together
Onboarding Document Pack
W-4, I-9, direct deposit forms, and policy acknowledgements. Pairs with the handbook so day one is fully papered.
See detailsSafety Manual
OSHA-aligned safety manual for trades, construction, and auto shops. Required by L&I once you have employees in the field.
See detailsSubcontractor Agreement
Clean subcontractor contract with scope, payment, and liability clauses. For when a worker isn't a W-2 employee.
See detailsStop wing-it'ing employee policies
Pricing is being finalized — get on the list and we'll let you know the moment it launches. If you'd rather walk through it with someone first, book a free call and we'll show you what's inside.
These are templates — not legal advice. Policies should be reviewed by a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before adoption. Cornerstone Intelligence Co. is not a law firm and does not represent clients in legal matters.