Best Employee Handbook Ever!

How to Write an Employee Handbook

Media Crush On…Valve!

Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, along comes something so innovative and disruptive you can’t help but fall in love – This week our office is crushing on Valve’s new employee handbook!

We went right ahead and aggregated a couple of pieces of delicious content for your enjoyment.

If you’ve ever wondered how some of the most successful companies in the world are able to attract the best talent around and produce outstanding products year in and year out, Valve’s Handbook for New Employees is a great place to start educating yourself. We loaded a PDF of the Valve Handbook handbook that reveals just how different (and awesome) it is to work at Valve.

Unlike a traditional job where the employee is given a desk and a set of instructions from a manager, those working a Valve don’t have a manager. As outlined in the handbook, hierarchy is great for maintaining predictability, repeat-ability and managing a large number of people. But for one of the top entertainment companies on the planet, telling an employee to sit behind a desk and do one specific task kills 99 percent of their value.

CLICK HERE  to read THE BEST Employee Handbook Ever Written!

As such, employees at Valve don’t have managers – there’s nobody to report to each day. Furthermore, workers get to select which projects they want to work on, have the power to green-light new projects and even ship products.

Every employee desk has a set of wheels on the bottom that serves two purposes. The first is a symbolic reminder that one should always consider where they could move to be more valuable. The other is literal – team members often move their desks close together when working on a project for obvious reasons.

The handbook paints a picture of an unbelievably fun and free work environment, including how all employees are equal, how employees are free to choose what projects to work on and that “for the most part working overtime for extended periods indicates a fundamental failure in plan- ning or communication. If this happens at Valve, it’s a sign that something needs to be reevaluated and corrected.” But my favorite passage has to be this:

Rather than spoil the entire thing for you, you can read the whole thing below, download a PDF copy by clicking the link – Best Employee Handbook Ever  .

CRUSH OF THE WEEK!!!!