On the shelf. This is a finished document you can buy and download today. Current release v1.0 · released September 19, 2026.
SD–HIRE–02 · United States · federal baseline
EmployeeHandbookStarter
37-page handbook · 19 sections · plus fill-in checklist, how-to guide and sources · 54 pages across 4 files
Write down how your place actually works before you grow.
37 pages · 275 fill-in fields · fill-in PDF
Covers every US stateFederal baseline. The same across every US state.
$99one time · USD · yours to keep
Tick the box above to continue. The button stays off until you do.
A plain-English handbook template covering the basics a small team asks about, ready to make your own.
Price$99 USD · one time
FormatFill-in PDF: type into the blanks on screen, or print it and write
Releasev1.0
Sources last checkedchecked Sep 19, 2026
Official sources10 named below
Before a document is downloaded, Simply Digital checks that its listed information is still current.
Look inside
37 pages. Here are six of them.
Real pages from the file you receive, not mock-ups. They are shown cropped and marked sample here. Tap any page to see it large.
What's inside
19 sections, taken from the document itself.
1About this handbookp. 2
2Your company, in your own wordsp. 4
3Welcomep. 6
4Employment basicsp. 7
5Harassment, discrimination and retaliationp. 10
6Hours of work and payp. 13
7Meal and rest breaksp. 15
8Time away from workp. 16
9Attendancep. 19
10Standards of conductp. 20
11Information, property and technologyp. 22
12Safetyp. 24
13When something goes wrong at workp. 25
14Ending employmentp. 26
15Recordsp. 27
16Raising somethingp. 29
17Where your state overrides the federal floorp. 31
18Acknowledgement of receiptp. 35
19Revision logp. 36
What lands in your inbox
Four files. Two of them do the work.
You fill in the document itself and hand it on. The checklist is there so you do not leave a blank in it. Everything else is reference. Every file is a PDF you can type into on screen, or print and write on, so you need nothing else to use it.
01Employee Handbook Starter, PDF you can type into, or print and write on37 pages
02Fill-in checklist, PDF you can type into, or print and write on12 pages
03How to use these documents, PDF guide2 pages
04Sources list, PDF3 pages
Who needs it
A growing team that keeps answering the same questions
Owners who want one place for how things work
Who does not
Somebody who believes a signed waiver removes responsibility. In many states it does not, and this pack says so.
A solo business with no employees yet
A company that needs a counsel-reviewed policy set for a regulated industry
The rest of the set
One document is rarely the whole job.
Businesses like yours usually start with these. It is where a trade starts, not a complete legal inventory of everything it could ever be asked for — no list on any website is that. Every line below says where it came from.
Showing what a demolition contractor is asked to carry.
Different trade? Pick yours:
96 trades on our list need this document. The 6 above are spread across the kinds of business that need it; the other 90 are here.
Demolition contractor13 items on the list, two of them a multi-file kit rather than a single document. You are looking at one of them. We sell eight of the other twelve; four we do not have yet.
You are getting this one
Written employee handbook
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
The one you are reading
Also on a demolition contractor's list — we carry these
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
$162 USD · one time
Also on the list — we do not sell it yet
Named because leaving them out would make the list look complete when it is not. Tell us which one you need and it goes on the build queue with your trade attached.
Asbestos survey & abatement work plan
REGA regulator asks for this.
29 CFR 1926.1101
Not on the shelf yet
Lead exposure element
REGA regulator asks for this.
29 CFR 1926.62
Not on the shelf yet
Invoice & estimate pack
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
Not on the shelf yet
Mechanic's lien / notice of intent / lien waiver set
COMPNot a rule we can point at — it is standard in this trade.
Not on the shelf yet
Your state can add to this. We have written down one place where this trade’s set differs from one state to the next. What we sell is written to the federal baseline, and a state that runs its own programme can ask for more than the federal rule does.
Dental practiceEight items on the list, one of them a multi-file kit rather than a single document. You are looking at one of them. We sell six of the other seven; one we do not have yet.
You are getting this one
Written employee handbook
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
$162 USD · one time
Also on the list — we do not sell it yet
Named because leaving them out would make the list look complete when it is not. Tell us which one you need and it goes on the build queue with your trade attached.
Invoice & estimate pack
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
Not on the shelf yet
Carried by this trade — we will not call it a requirement
We have these written down against this trade but not well enough sourced to tell you a rule demands them. So we are not telling you that.
HIPAA notice of privacy practices & authorisations
REGA regulator asks for this.
45 CFR part 160
Not on the shelf yet
Your state can add to this. We have written down one place where this trade’s set differs from one state to the next. What we sell is written to the federal baseline, and a state that runs its own programme can ask for more than the federal rule does.
Trucking & freight carrierEleven items on the list, one of them a multi-file kit rather than a single document. You are looking at one of them. We sell three of the other ten; seven we do not have yet.
You are getting this one
Written employee handbook
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
The one you are reading
Also on a trucking & freight carrier's list — we carry these
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
$162 USD · one time
Also on the list — we do not sell it yet
Named because leaving them out would make the list look complete when it is not. Tell us which one you need and it goes on the build queue with your trade attached.
Driver medical examiner's certificate record
REGA regulator asks for this.
49 CFR 391.45
Not on the shelf yet
Driver qualification file
REGA regulator asks for this.
49 CFR 391.11
Not on the shelf yet
Pre-employment drug & alcohol testing record
REGA regulator asks for this.
49 CFR 382.301
Not on the shelf yet
Proof of financial responsibility (insurance filing) record
REGA regulator asks for this.
49 CFR 387.7
Not on the shelf yet
Record of duty status / hours of service log
REGA regulator asks for this.
49 CFR 395.8
Not on the shelf yet
Invoice & estimate pack
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
Not on the shelf yet
Show the other one
Broker–carrier / shipper agreement
COMPNot a rule we can point at — it is standard in this trade.
Not on the shelf yet
Your state can add to this. We have written down one place where this trade’s set differs from one state to the next. What we sell is written to the federal baseline, and a state that runs its own programme can ask for more than the federal rule does.
Tattoo studio / piercing shopEleven items on the list, one of them a multi-file kit rather than a single document. You are looking at one of them. We sell six of the other ten; four we do not have yet.
You are getting this one
Written employee handbook
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
The one you are reading
Also on a tattoo studio / piercing shop's list — we carry these
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
$162 USD · one time
Also on the list — we do not sell it yet
Named because leaving them out would make the list look complete when it is not. Tell us which one you need and it goes on the build queue with your trade attached.
Ink batch / lot record
REGA regulator asks for this, and which one depends on your state.
Not on the shelf yet
Minor / guardian consent handling
REGA regulator asks for this, and which one depends on your state.
Not on the shelf yet
Sterilisation & spore test log
REGA regulator asks for this, and which one depends on your state.
Not on the shelf yet
Invoice & estimate pack
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
Not on the shelf yet
Your state can add to this. We have written down three places where this trade’s set differs from one state to the next. What we sell is written to the federal baseline, and a state that runs its own programme can ask for more than the federal rule does.
Bar, tavern & sports barTwelve items on the list, one of them a multi-file kit rather than a single document. You are looking at one of them. We sell four of the other eleven; seven we do not have yet.
You are getting this one
Written employee handbook
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
The one you are reading
Also on a bar, tavern & sports bar's list — we carry these
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
$162 USD · one time
Also on the list — we do not sell it yet
Named because leaving them out would make the list look complete when it is not. Tell us which one you need and it goes on the build queue with your trade attached.
Responsible alcohol service & refusal log
REGA regulator asks for this, and which one depends on your state.
Not on the shelf yet
Employee health & illness reporting policy
REGA regulator asks for this, and which one depends on your state.
Not on the shelf yet
Food safety plan / HACCP-style written controls
REGA regulator asks for this.
21 CFR 117.1
Not on the shelf yet
Tip pooling policy
REGA regulator asks for this, and which one depends on your state.
Not on the shelf yet
Daily cleaning & sanitation log
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
Not on the shelf yet
Invoice & estimate pack
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
Not on the shelf yet
Show the other one
ID check & incident report form
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
Not on the shelf yet
Your state can add to this. We have written down three places where this trade’s set differs from one state to the next. What we sell is written to the federal baseline, and a state that runs its own programme can ask for more than the federal rule does.
Electrical contractor13 items on the list, two of them a multi-file kit rather than a single document. You are looking at one of them. We sell nine of the other twelve; three we do not have yet.
You are getting this one
Written employee handbook
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
The one you are reading
Also on an electrical contractor's list — we carry these
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
$162 USD · one time
Also on the list — we do not sell it yet
Named because leaving them out would make the list look complete when it is not. Tell us which one you need and it goes on the build queue with your trade attached.
Lockout/tagout written program
REGA regulator asks for this.
29 CFR 1910.147
Not on the shelf yet
Invoice & estimate pack
OURSNot a rule we can point at — this is what the trade gets asked for.
Not on the shelf yet
Mechanic's lien / notice of intent / lien waiver set
COMPNot a rule we can point at — it is standard in this trade.
Not on the shelf yet
Your state can add to this. We have written down one place where this trade’s set differs from one state to the next. What we sell is written to the federal baseline, and a state that runs its own programme can ask for more than the federal rule does.
1Fill in the sections that match how you really operate
2Cut anything that does not apply to you
3Have each person read and sign the acknowledgement
Official-source registry
Named before release.
These are the real rules this plan is built on. Every citation was read against the published text on the date shown above, and each link goes to the official source, not to a summary.
State-specific leave laws still need separate confirmation
Before you buy
The terms, in the words we would use out loud.
Updates are free, forever
When a rule changes, or an objection to this policy keeps coming up, we rewrite it and the new version lands in your account. You do not pay again. That applies to everyone who buys, member or not, for as long as we sell this document.
No refunds for a change of mind
The files are yours the moment payment clears, so we do not give money back just because you no longer want them. You agree to that in the box above the button before you pay, not afterwards in small print.
Broken or wrong, we fix it free — for everyone
If a file is the wrong one, will not open, is missing pages, or does not match what this page says, that is on us and we correct it at no cost, member or not. A version fitted to your business is either included with membership or $49 on its own. That promise is the reason the no-refund rule is fair.
A version fitted to your business: $49 once, or $30/month
Want this policy edited to match how your business actually works? A non-member buys one tailored edit for $49, no membership needed, and it comes back within 2 business days. A Simply Current membership is $30/month and every fitted edit is included — it wins on the second edit.
One more time, plainly: this is United States · federal baseline. A state or a city can be stricter than the federal floor, so check your own before you file or submit anything built from it. Anything we add for your state ships as a free update.