Developing Employee Handbooks in Human Resource Classes

Many adult learning theories such as andragogy theory stress that business-related classes should emphasize a wide variety of learning techniques that are directly related to the learner’s experiences and the real world.  HR instructors can do such activities by having their students create employee handbooks for real life companies.  Kaupins provides a template on how to do so.  Contacting potential clients through Small Business Development Centers, prior clients, and professional contacts can provide plenty of employee handbook projects for student groups of three to five. Clients would physically come to the class to be interviewed by the student group who would be writing the employee handbook for them.  They would based their questions on a comprehensive outline of an employee handbook that the author shows in the article.  The outline covers issues such as training and development, recruiting, selection, discipline, work rules, compensation, benefits, performance appraisal, health, safety, and security.  Employment-at-will also is discussed.  As a result, the clients receive a complete employee handbook for free.  Students get credit for the work by adding it to their resume.  There have been many positive comments from the students and the clients from this type of project.  Each portion of the handbook in an integral component of HR management classes, curriculum, and prerequisites for certifications.

Thanks to Steve Silva, Graduate Assistant, Boise State University, for writing this original abstract/summary of the paper.  Gundars Kaupins also wrote part of this new abstract.