Northstar Studio Employee Handbook Starter
Northstar Studio Employee Handbook Starter is a practical starter handbook for a 11-50 employees software consulting team based in California. It assumes a hybrid work model and standard paid time off and health benefits, then turns those choices into copy-ready policy sections.
Welcome and Employment Basics
Welcome employees to Northstar Studio, define the handbook's purpose, state that at-will employment applies unless a signed agreement says otherwise, and explain that policies may change as the business evolves.
- State that employment is at-will unless a signed agreement says otherwise.
- Explain equal employment opportunity, anti-harassment, and reporting expectations.
- Clarify that managers can answer policy questions but cannot waive written policies without approval.
Code of Conduct
Set practical standards for professionalism, respectful communication, conflicts of interest, and client confidentiality.
- Require employees to act honestly with clients, teammates, vendors, and candidates.
- Ban harassment, retaliation, intimidation, and discriminatory behavior.
- Ask employees to disclose outside work or relationships that could create a conflict.
Working Hours and Attendance
Define normal availability expectations for a hybrid team and explain how employees should request schedule changes.
- List core collaboration hours and the expected response window for work messages.
- Explain how to report lateness, absences, and emergencies.
- Describe how time records should be submitted for non-exempt employees.
Compensation and Payroll
Document pay frequency, timekeeping rules, overtime approval, deductions, and how employees can raise payroll questions.
- Name the regular payday and what happens when payday falls on a holiday.
- Require advance manager approval for overtime where applicable.
- Tell employees how to report payroll errors quickly.
Benefits and Perks
Summarize eligibility and enrollment rules for standard paid time off and health benefits.
- Reference official plan documents for benefit details and conflicts.
- Explain when new hires become eligible for benefits.
- List who to contact for enrollment changes or qualifying life events.
Performance and Feedback
Explain how goals, feedback, reviews, promotions, and corrective action are handled.
- Set expectations for regular manager check-ins and documented goals.
- Clarify that reviews do not guarantee raises, bonuses, or continued employment.
- Describe how performance concerns are communicated and tracked.
Client, Data, and Confidentiality Standards
Protect client information, internal systems, business plans, proposals, pricing, and proprietary work product.
- Require employees to use approved storage, password, and sharing tools.
- Limit client data access to employees who need it for assigned work.
- Require prompt reporting of suspected data exposure or lost devices.
Hybrid and Remote Work
Define where employees may work, how availability is measured, and what happens when collaboration or performance slips.
- Set expectations for meetings, cameras, calendars, and focused work blocks.
- Require a safe, private workspace for confidential calls and client work.
- Reserve the company's right to change remote-work arrangements based on business needs.
Time Off and Leave
Summarize paid time off, sick time, holidays, and protected leave obligations for employees in California.
- Explain how employees request PTO and how far in advance requests should be submitted.
- Separate company PTO from legally protected sick, family, medical, jury, military, or voting leave.
- Tell employees to contact HR before or as soon as practical when they need protected leave.
Equipment and Company Property
Explain how laptops, badges, software licenses, phones, documents, and other company property are issued and returned.
- Require reasonable care for assigned property and prompt reporting of loss or damage.
- Ban unauthorized software, account sharing, and personal use that creates risk.
- Require all company property to be returned when employment ends.
Information Security
Set baseline security expectations for accounts, devices, customer data, and incident reporting.
- Require unique passwords, multi-factor authentication, and approved password managers.
- Prohibit sending confidential data through personal email or unapproved chat tools.
- Tell employees to report phishing, suspicious logins, or accidental sharing immediately.
Acknowledgment and Policy Changes
Close with an acknowledgment that employees received the handbook, understand where to ask questions, and know policies can be updated.
- Include signature, printed name, and date fields.
- State that the handbook does not create an employment contract.
- Keep signed acknowledgments in the personnel file or HR system.
Compliance review notes
Review this California handbook starter for state and local wage-hour rules, protected leave, paid sick time, final-pay timing, required notices, non-compete restrictions, and any industry-specific obligations for software consulting. This starter is not legal advice.