Section 01

Most handbook policies follow a pattern. Claude can give you a first draft to edit, not a blank page.

Writing or updating an employee handbook policy is rarely about coming up with new ideas — it is about putting an established approach (annual leave, expenses, working hours, conduct) into clear, consistent wording that fits the structure of the rest of the handbook.

Claude can help with that wording. Give it the key points of a policy — what it covers, who it applies to, what the process is — and it can draft the policy text in a clear, consistent style, ready for your HR and legal team to review against your organisation's actual rules and local employment law.

Key insight: Claude does not know your company's specific policies, benefits, or legal obligations. You provide the facts — the entitlements, processes and rules — and Claude helps turn them into clear, well-structured policy text.

Draft a new policy

Turn a set of bullet points about a policy area into a clearly worded draft section.

Update an existing policy

Rework an existing policy to reflect a change, while keeping the surrounding wording and tone consistent.

Simplify dense policy text

Rewrite a complex or jargon-heavy policy in plain English that employees can actually follow.

Without Claude

Start from a blank page or an old policy from a different company, and spend time getting the structure, tone and headings consistent with the rest of the handbook.

With Claude

Give Claude the key facts about the policy and the structure of your handbook, and ask for a draft section in the same style — ready for HR and legal review.

Drafting a handbook policy with Claude works best as a structured process, where Claude produces the wording and your team confirms the facts and approves the final version.

Gather the facts of the policy

Write down the entitlements, eligibility rules, and process steps for the policy area, in your own words or bullet points.

Share an example of your handbook style

Provide a short excerpt from an existing policy in your handbook, so Claude can match the tone, structure and heading style.

Ask Claude to draft the policy

Share the facts and the style example, and ask for a draft policy section that covers the points you provided.

Review for accuracy and legal compliance

Have HR and, where appropriate, legal review the draft against your actual entitlements, contracts and applicable employment law.

Approve and publish through your normal process

Once reviewed and approved, add the policy to the handbook following your organisation's usual sign-off and version control process.

Note: Claude can draft wording quickly, but it cannot confirm that a policy is legally compliant in your jurisdiction or consistent with existing contracts. That check has to come from your HR and legal team.

These prompts help produce a handbook policy draft that is ready for review, in a style consistent with the rest of your documentation.

Prompt 1 — Draft a new handbook policy section

Act as an HR policy writer. I need a draft handbook policy section on [policy topic, e.g. "Annual Leave"]. Key facts to include: - [List the entitlements, eligibility rules, and any limits — e.g. "25 days per year, pro-rata for part-time staff, requests via the HR system with at least 2 weeks' notice"] - [List the process steps — e.g. "How leave is requested, approved, and recorded"] - [Any exceptions or special cases — e.g. "Carry-over rules, leave during notice periods"] Style example from our handbook: [Paste a short excerpt from an existing policy, to match heading style, tone and structure] Write the policy section using only the facts I have provided. If something is unclear or missing, list it as an open question rather than filling it in.

Prompt 2 — Simplify an existing policy

Act as an HR policy writer. Here is an existing policy section that employees find hard to understand: [Paste the existing policy text] Rewrite it in plain English, keeping the same entitlements, rules and process exactly as written. Do not add, remove or change any rule — only change the wording, structure and headings to make it clearer. After the rewrite, list any sentences from the original where you were unsure of the intended meaning.

Before adding a Claude-drafted policy to the handbook

Confirm every entitlement, limit and process step matches your actual policy and contracts

Resolve any "open questions" Claude has flagged before publishing

Have the draft reviewed by your legal team for compliance with local employment law

Check the heading style and tone match the rest of the handbook

Update the version history and effective date according to your normal process

Important: A Claude-drafted policy is a starting point for wording, not a legal document. Employment law varies by country and region, and a published handbook policy can have contractual effect — always have new or changed policies reviewed and approved by HR and legal before publishing.