How One Company is Using Its Employee Handbook as a Recruiting Tool

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• August 21, 2014
• By Susan Shain
• 4 Comments

Most employee handbooks are boring. They either end up as door-stops or get tossed into a filing cabinet, never to be seen or thought of again.

But for investment firm The Motley Fool, the employee handbook is something entirely different. And because they’ve made it public, some are even calling it a recruiting tool — after all, recruiting is much simpler when everyone already wants to work at your company!

So what makes it special?

Aptly named The Fool Rules, this handbook is a manifestation of a supercharged company culture. After reading it, you won’t be surprised to find out that The Motley Fool has won many “best place to work” awards, including a #1 ranking from Glassdoor.com.

What you can learn from the Fool

Even if your company’s policy or culture isn’t as unique, you can still take lessons from how the handbook is written. First off, it’s an interactive online guide full of videos and photos. (No more boring manuals!) It’s also written in a conversational tone that is easy to digest and understand. Finally, it includes important information about what an employee can expect from the company.

Here are three key components every good handbook should include, with examples from The Motley Fool handbook :

Your company identity

What is special about your company? What traits represent you?

The Fool “take[s] special pride in calling ourselves ‘Foolish’ – with a capital F. Harkening back to Shakespeare, it is our calling card to be irreverent, to instruct and amuse, and to speak the truth. So our Core Values can be summarized simply as ‘Be Foolish.’”

Your company values

What kind of employees are you looking for? How will you treat them?

From The Fool Rules: “We want and expect Fools to think for themselves, so we’re not big on micromanaging. We hope to provide you lots of leadership and very little management… You are an amazing adult and we trust you to carve your own path, set your own priorities, and ask for help when you need it.”

Your unique perks and bonuses

Job-seekers today are looking for those extras that set a company apart. What can you offer your employees?

Like this: “The Fool’s vacation policy is pretty straightforward: Take what you need.” In addition, The Motley Fool boasts on-site speakers, meditation classes, an April Fool’s Day celebration, an annual Foolapalooza (company retreat), Fool’s Gold points that can be redeemed for prizes, and presents on your annual Fooliversary (day you started working there).

Not only does The Motley Fool offer a positive work environment and quirky company culture — they’ve illustrated it in an innovative handbook for the whole world to see. Now that is a smart recruiting move. And one your company can also adopt!

What do you think about this handbook? Would you ever consider creating something like it for your company?

Susan Shain (@TravlJunkette) is a travel blogger who loves helping people discover adventure through international travel or alternative careers.

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