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    How to Make a Great Employee Handbook

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    9741630-sml4Putting together an employee handbook for your company is an important task, and is best done as a team effort. Here are some tips on how to create a great and useful handbook that covers all the bases.

    1.Collect all of the policies that are currently in place, and start to put together a Word document of them. You definitely want to get input from as many people as you can, especially managers and supervisors, but also talk to as many employees as possible and get input from them. Sometimes certain ways of dealing with situations arise among employees and between departments over time, and come to be understood as de facto policy. It is a good idea to put these in the handbook if you find them satisfactory.

    2.In order to create an employee handbook that is readable, understandable and will stand the test of time,you will need to have the handbook professionally written. If you are in a larger company, you may have a communications department or other staff that is capable of handling the task. If not, you will need to hire an outside writer.

    3.You will also need to make sure the handbook gets a going-over by a qualified attorney. Again, larger businesses may have people on staff that are qualified to do this. If not, do a search of local attorneys who specialize in workplace law. Make sure that you include all the info that your attorney suggests, and to plan a little bit for future growth as well.

    4.Important things to include in your employee handbook are: sections dealing with all forms of harassment, a clear drug and alcohol policy, and a section dealing with the proper use of all property and resources belonging to the company. You will also want to make sure that you have a system of clear steps that are to be taken for any employees that want to report instances of fraud or mistreatment, so that they can do so anonymously and without fear of retribution. They should also have a method of registering complaints that does not cause them to fear for their job safety.

    5. Though such items as dress codes, as well as attendance rules, and the various disciplinary actions your employees may face are probably already in place somewhat, it is a good idea to codify these things as much as possible in order to create a standard in black and white that is clear and fair to all. There should also be a section where you list and number the types of policies that apply to everyone in the company, such as holidays, sick and vacation days, etc.

    6.Include a section that lists and explains the benefits that your company offers. You don’t necessarily have to go into great detail here, but it is important that you give them a reasonable overview, and a list of resources such as websites where they can go to find more details if need be.

    7.Speaking of websites, it is a great idea to have the handbook accessible online, perhaps in a password protected area that is not available to the general public. Having it downloadable in PDF form is fine.

    8.Put the document together using a binding style that is both rugged and fairly editable, just in case changes need to be made over time. Three-ring binding is probably the most common, but plastic comb and spiral wire will do the job as well.

    9.Employees should read the handbook before they begin at your company, and should be required to sign a sheet of paper stating that they have read and understand the policies therein.

    If you are interested in more information about how the right Document Binding Style, can help you create a great employee handbook, you might want to visit MyBinding.com.

    Putting Together a Great Promo Kit For Your Dealers

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    akiles-duomac-series9Your dealers’ ability to sell your product begins with you. Here are a few tips on how to make a high-quality promotion kit to make your dealers’ job a little easier.

    1.Cover Letter. You will need to introduce your business and services somehow, and creating a succinct and well-written cover letter is the first thing you will want to pay attention to. If the thought of writing this yourself makes you nervous, don’t sweat it. There are many professional copywriters out there who have done this kind of thing numerous times and can have a project like this done in a day or so. If you decide to tackle it yourself, just keep in mind that you will want to keep the industry jargon to a minimum, instead focusing on describing what your product or service intends to provide for your customers. Focus on uniqueness, and hitting the points that you think will attract your intended niche.

    2.Price List. Make it easy for your dealers to make it easy for their customers to buy. There are many ways your price list can be presented, but to exert some control over the process, one thing to keep in mind is that you’ll want to keep it as clean, clear, and permanent-looking as possible, without a lot of scratched-out numbers, changes, and notes. So send out new lists to your dealers as soon as they are available.

    3.Selling Guide. Give your affiliates as much information as you can. Whatever has worked for you in the past as selling points, put them on paper, put them together in a nicely bound booklet, and let your sales force use these same items to increase their sales. Things you will want to include are:

    • Product features and (especially) benefits.
    • Tips on exactly what to say when selling and advertising your product.
    • Competitive cross reference charts: These help your sales force see in black and white why your product is superior, and make great hand-outs for them to give to customers as well.

    4. Informational CD’s and DVD’s can be a big help these days, and are relatively cheap to manufacture as well. Some things you might want to include on these discs are:

    • High resolution images of your product and company logo.
    • Product specs such as features and benefits, model and item numbers, usage directions, list price and discounts, and the same or similar copy as you might have in your catalog or website.
    • Promotions such as Q2 and Q3 customer offers and such things as gift cards, as well as any dealer spiffs for specific items or sales goals.
    • Editable Flyers in a commonly used program such as Indesign or Pagemaker.
    • Accessory images of your product in use.
    • Extra Copy, such as a selection guide so that you dealer can help his or her customers find the right product for their needs; and educational guides for any of your products that may need an extra bit of explanation.
    • Editable Ads, such as any that have appeared in print, or that your dealer may want to print locally in the future. Again, try and use a publishing program that your dealers are likely to have, or can get relatively inexpensively.

    If you are interested in more information about using Binding Machines, to help create a great promo kit, you might want to visit MyBinding.com. They offer a great price on binding equipment and they even offer Free Shipping on orders over $75.00. Plus, they carry a full line of Binding Supplies, in all brands and capabilities. Check it out today!

    Publish Your Own Nonfiction Book – Some Easy Steps

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    PC316BK-3-sm2Deciding to print and publish one’s own book is a big step in a writer’s life. Here are a few things to consider when you are just starting the process.

    1.Once your book is finished, you’ll need to make some decision about want you want to get out of you hard work. For instance, do you just want something nice to hand out to family and friends as gifts, or do you believe that your book is meant for a wider audience? The former, of course, makes things rather easy, as you do not need to worry about capturing the attention of the general public or interested parties within your niche. If, however, you are indeed looking to make a bigger impact, you will need to do a little research. First, you should see how many books there are already on the market that cover your topic, and how well they have sold (in a perfect world, of course, you have read most of these books anyway to ensure that you are not covering the exact same ground). This initial research should give you a reasonable assessment of how many books you should look to publish at the outset.

    2.Take a trip down to your local print shop – or have a good look around online – to check out all of the different binding styles. Most likely, you will want to do what is called “perfect binding” which creates a final product that is just like the books on your shelf right now. You can do hard or soft covers, and cost will vary depending on the paper stock yo choose and how many books you intend to print. If you plan to publish a lot of books in the future, you can purchase the binding machine yourself (the binding process is incredibly simple) and likely save money over time.

    3.Before you decide on a cover style, you can, and should, take a trip down to the local bookstore and make note of the styles, formats, and sizes that you think would be appropriate for your book. You will likely find that it is less expensive to stick to more standard sizes, but you will have to decide what is right for your book.

    4.When you are printing your pages, a great way to save time and money, as well as creating a great-looking finished product, is to use a direct-to-press printer. Long story short, instead of using any sort of film, this method transfers your computer files directly onto the printing plate. In the interest of brevity, we’re going to spare you the detailed explanations of why this is such a great method, and just say that we recommend you look into it.

    5.Search for and hire a professional and experienced designer for the cover and layout of your book. The two of you can decide on an appropriate font, create a theme and flow to the book, and, last but not least, help create a wonderfully eye-catching cover. Yes, it will cost you some extra money to get a real pro, but it will be very well worth it when it comes to the finished product.

    If you are interested in more information about how the right Document Binding Style, can help you create a great self-published book, you might want to visit MyBinding.com. They offer a great price on binding equipment and they even offer Free Shipping on orders over $75.00. Plus, they carry a full line of Binding Accessories, of all styles, types and capabilities. Check it out today!

    Create a Great Family Reunion Booklet

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    unibind-x-tower-sm3Putting together a book or booklet for your family reunion can be a fun and rewarding experience. Here are a few tips to get you started.

    Plan Ahead:

    As soon as you know when and where your family reunion is going to be held, start sending out letters or emails to all of the families that you believe will be in attendance. In the letter, you can either just make a simple request for information such as where they live, what they are up to, and who is doing what, etc. You can make it easier for them – and increase participation — by sending them a list of interview type questions they can simply reply to. You’ll want to ask the basic questions as stated above, but you can include some fun questions too, such as “what is the funniest thing that has happened to your family this year?” or something of that nature. Some uniformity is great for the continuity of your book, but you want to leave room for each family to show some of their personality as well.

    Do what you can to make sure that each family contributes some photos too, as well as contact information and birth dates for each member. The more information you have, the easier it will be to put your book together. Do as much of this information gathering as you can via digital formats such as email. This will make putting the booklet together much less time-consuming in the long run.

    Put It Together:

    Start to put together your booklet in either a word processing program such as MS Word, or in a layout program such as PageMaker, InDesign, or Qwark Xpress if you have such a program. As stated above, you will have a much easier time if you follow some sort of format, such as each family gets a similar headline followed by a photo and whatever information they have provided. Choose a sans serif font that is friendly, yet easy to read, and consider using fun headers and sub-headers that convey a little bit about each family’s personality. Something like: “The John and Rebecca Hadleys: Wishin’ They Were Fishin'” or something like that. You get the idea.

    Take all the contact information and put it in one place at the end of the book, sort of like a family directory. When it comes to placement of the families in the main section, you can either list them alphabetically or by age.

    Another great addition to you book might be a family tree. There are a few software programs out there that aren’t terribly expensive and allow you to simply input your information, then import into the main document.

    Bind it:

    Depending on how large your family is, and how many members you can get to contribute their information, you can either just do a simple two-staple saddle stitch, or something more elaborate and permanent such as twin loop binding or perfect bound hardcover. A lot of times, you can purchase these machines and do the binding at home for less than a print shop would charge, and you’ll then have the ability to create books whenever you choose. Take a look online or go to your print shop to see what your options are.

    Creating a Grandparent’s Memory Book

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    unibind-x-tower-sm2A book of your grandparent’s memories can provide you with a family heirloom that both current and future generations will enjoy and be grateful for. Here are some tips to get you started.

    Gather Your Information

    One of the more popular ways to put together a grandparent’s memory book is to ask specific questions and have your grandparent answer them. You can to this in several ways, such as simply putting 2-3 questions on each page and wither having the grandparent write or type the answers in themselves, or to conduct a taped interview and transcribe the answers yourself. Unless your grandparent is a writer by nature, the latter method is more likely to get you more material to work with, and the spoken answers can lead in interesting directions that you may not have anticipated. Long story short (as it were), in general, people speak more freely than they write so it is probably worth to do an interview rather than a questionnaire.

    When you do your interview, you will of course want to have a list of questions prepared, but you should also be ready to go wherever the answers lead you. If you hear something interesting in one of the answers, follow it up.

    You can start your line of questioning in chronological order (starting at your grandparent’s earliest memory and progressing from there) or you can start with a major event and work outward from there. Whatever you do, keep in mind that period-specific details will provide depth and color to your grandparent’s story.

    Everyone’s life contains twists and turns that were not expected. While you should make sure to include the basic information that future generations will enjoy knowing, such as where he or she was born, grew up, went to school, got married, etc.,it is a person’s perspective on life that makes him or her unique, and will make your grandparent more of a “real person” to the readers of your memory book.

    Photographs

    You will, of course, want to include some great photographs in your memory book. You can simply pore through any photo albums your grandparent has, and find the best ones to include in your book. You can also collect some from friends and family members that are especially fun or high quality. Scan the photos into your computer and intersperse them throughout your document along with some captions.

    Another thought is to use photographs during your interview. You can show your grandparent a photo and have him or her tell what they remember about that moment, then include both the photo and the comments in your book.

    Printing and Binding

    You should use the best printing method that you can afford, such as digital laser printing. When it comes to putting the book together, you will have to think about how many copies you want and how you want to distribute them among family members, or whether you simply want one copy that you can pass around.

    If you choose to make several copies, it may be worth your while to investigate having your own thermal binding machine. This is the kind of machine that makes hardcover and softcover books and they are extremely affordable and incredibly easy to use. Take a look around online or ask your local print shop about your options.