# Employee Handbook > A professional but warm employee handbook covering company values, PTO, remote work, expense policy, performance reviews, and communication norms. Pre-filled for a 22-person creative agency. Source: https://buildpdfs.com/templates/employee-handbook Category: Business A professional but warm employee handbook covering company values, PTO, remote work, expense policy, performance reviews, and communication norms. Pre-filled for a 22-person creative agency. ## What's included - Company values and mission statement section - Work hours, PTO, and holiday policy - Remote work policy and communication norms - Expense policy with approval thresholds - Performance review cadence and offboarding process ## Sample content Hollow Creek Studio 2026 Team Handbook How We _Work._ Everything you need to know about working at Hollow Creek — how we make decisions, how we communicate, and what we believe. Make great work Be honest Take ownership Show up for each other 22 People · Creative Agency Version 2026.1 Welcome From the Founders Hey — welcome to Hollow Creek. We built this studio because we wanted to make things that we were actually proud of, with people we actually liked working with. So far, so good. We're 22 people now. That's big enough to do serious work, and small enough that you'll know everyone by name within a month. We plan to keep it that way for a while. This handbook is our attempt to write down how we work — not as rules, but as shared agreements. The goal isn't to cover every situation. The goal is to give you enough context that you can make good decisions without asking permission for things that shouldn't require it. If something in here feels off, say so. This is a living document. The best version of this handbook is one that our team has actually shaped. We're genuinely glad you're here. — The Founders, Hollow Creek Studio Our Values What We Believe These aren't aspirational words on a wall. They're the behaviors we hire for, give feedback on, and hold ourselves to. When you're unsure what to do, one of these usually points the way. Value one of four Make Great Work. We are a creative studio. Work quality is the thing. Not just "good enough" — genuinely excellent. We push revisions. We care about the details. We don't ship things we'd be embarrassed to put our name on. That said, excellence doesn't mean perfectionism. We ship and iterate. We finish things. What this looks like: You do one more pass before sending to a client. You ask for feedback before you assume something is done. You'd show the work to someone you respect. Value two of four Be Honest. We say what we think. Not harshly — with care. But we don't soften feedback until it loses meaning. We don't say yes to clients when we mean no. We tell each other when something's not working. Honesty here is a form of respect — it means we believe each other can handle the truth and get better from it. What this looks like: Saying "I think this design direction is wrong and here's why" in a team review. Telling a client the timeline they want isn't realistic and proposing a real one. Value three of four Take Ownership. When something is yours, it's yours. You don't wait for permission to make it better. You don't hand it off at the first sign of difficulty. You see it through. Ownership doesn't mean you have all the answers — it means you're responsible for finding them. Ask for help. Ask often. But don't outsource your responsibility. What this looks like: Noticing a problem in a project you're not the lead on — and flagging it. Taking the initiative to fix something without being asked. Value four of four Show Up for Each Other. We're a team. When someone is overwhelmed, you notice. When someone ships something great, you say so. We don't throw each other under the bus in front of clients. We celebrate wins. We help when it's needed, even when it's not "your job." The work is better when the team is strong. What this looks like: Jumping on a project when a teammate is slammed. Sending a Slack message when someone does something great. Covering for someone when they're sick. How We Work Operations ##### Hours & Availability * Core Hours 10am – 3pm in your time zone. This is when you're expected to be reachable and available for syncs. Outside of that, structure your day however you work best. * Flexible Time We trust you to manage your time. If you work better at 7am or 8pm, do that. What matters is output and presence during core hours. * Async First Default to async communication. If it can be a Loom or a Notion comment, it doesn't need to be a meeting. Protect each other's deep work time. * Meeting Etiquette Meetings need an agenda in the invite. If there's no agenda, it's okay to ask for one before accepting. Keep meetings 25 or 50 minutes — not 30 or 60. ##### Remote Policy We are a remote-first team. "Sync by appointment" is our operating principle — collaboration happens intentionally, not by default proximity. If you're co-located with a teammate, great — but don't let that create a two-tier culture. ##### Communication Stack Slack Async day-to-day comms. Respond within 24h work hours. Don't expect instant replies. Notion Documentation, project tracking, this handbook. If it's not in Notion, it doesn't exist. Loom Complex feedback, walkthroughs, anything that would be a long Slack message. Record it. Zoom Scheduled syncs only. Camera on by default — it's a team norm, not a requirement. Benefits & Perks What You Get Vacation Days 20 Per year + 11 federal holidays + your birthday off (no exceptions) PTO Policy Flexible Request in Notion at least 2 weeks ahead. No approval needed for under 3 days. Sick Days Unlimited If you're sick, rest. Tell your manager on Slack. No forms needed. ##### Expense Policy $50 Under $50 — no receipt needed Use your card. Submit in Notion expenses board with a brief description. We trust you. $51+ $51 and over — needs prior approval Post in #expenses on Slack with context. Approved within 24 hours by the ops team. What counts as an expense: software subscriptions for project use, client-related meals, travel for client work, reference books or courses directly relevant to your role. When in doubt — ask first. #### Performance & Growth * Check-ins Quarterly 30-minute 1:1 with your manager. Focused on your experience, goals, and any support needed. Not a performance review — a conversation. * Annual Review Every January. A more structured look at the past year: what went well, what to focus on, compensation review where applicable. * Feedback You should be getting feedback often — not just at review time. If you're not, ask for it. Feedback is a service we do for each other. * Learning Budget $750/year for courses, books, conferences, or tools. Submit as an expense with "Learning:" in the description. Parting Ways Offboarding We hope you're with us for a long time. But if your path leads somewhere else, here's how we handle transitions — with the same respect and care we try to bring to everything else. ##### If You're Leaving 1 **Give 2 weeks notice when possible.** We don't require it legally, but it's appreciated and makes the transition smoother for your teammates. 2 **Complete a knowledge transfer document.** This is required. It lives in Notion. Your manager will share the template. Spend 2–4 hours filling it in — it's a genuine gift to whoever comes next. 3 **Return any equipment.** Mailed or dropped off within 10 days of your last day. We'll cover shipping. 4 **Exit conversation.** An optional 30-minute conversation with a founder. Honest feedback only. Nothing you say will be held against you — we genuinely want to learn. ##### If We're Letting You Go We don't do surprise terminations. If performance is an issue, you'll have heard it in feedback before a formal conversation. If it's a business reason (restructure, role elimination), you'll get as much notice as possible and a fair severance conversation. Either way — we'll be honest about why, we'll make the process as dignified as possible, and we'll give a positive reference wherever we can. Key Links * Employee Handbook (this doc) notion.so/hollowcreek/handbook * Expense Submissions notion.so/hollowcreek/expenses * PTO Requests notion.so/hollowcreek/time-off * Project Tracker notion.so/hollowcreek/projects * Emergency Contact — Ops ops@hollowcreekstudio.com * Benefits & HR Questions hr@hollowcreekstudio.com ## Frequently asked questions ### What should an employee handbook include? A complete employee handbook covers: company values and culture, work hours and remote policy, PTO and leave policy, expense and reimbursement policy, communication norms, performance review process, and offboarding procedure. ### When should a startup create an employee handbook? Create one before you hire your first full-time employee. Even a short handbook (8–12 pages) sets expectations and prevents policy confusion that scales poorly. ### Is this employee handbook template free? Yes — free to use. Describe your company culture, policies, and values to the AI and it will create a customized handbook. ## Related reading - [How to write an employee handbook](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/how-to-write-an-employee-handbook) - [How to write a statement of work](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/how-to-write-a-statement-of-work) - [Lead magnets for HR consultants and coaches](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/lead-magnet-for-consultants) [Use this template](https://buildpdfs.com/signup?templateId=employee-handbook) — free, no credit card required.