The One HR Document Every Small Business Owner Needs Before Hiring

Every small business owner asks the same question before hiring their first employee: Where do I start?

The answer is simpler than you think. Before you post a job listing, before you conduct a single interview, you need one document in place — an Employee Handbook.

Not because the law requires it in most states. Because it protects you.

An Employee Handbook sets the rules of the road. It tells your employees what you expect, what you offer, and what happens when things go wrong. Without one, every disciplinary conversation, every termination, every dispute becomes a "he-said-she-said situation" and those are expensive.

The good news: your handbook doesn't need to be a 50-page legal document. A clear, plain-English handbook covering your core policies is enough to establish expectations and give you a paper trail that matters.

At Sutton Essentials, every template we offer is written in plain English — no legal degree required to understand or implement them.

Start with the handbook. Build from there.

— Claire Sutton, Sutton Essentials