Using Pilla as Your Employee Handbook

Why video beats paper

Traditional employee handbooks rely on written documents: policy manuals, contract addendums, HR handbooks. The fundamental problem is that no one reads them.

Paper handbooks go unread — A handbook sitting in the manager's office or buried in an email attachment doesn't protect your team or your business. Staff are asked to sign to say they've read the handbook, but everyone knows they haven't. The information exists, but it never reaches the people who need it.

Written policies don't stick — Even if someone does read a policy document, reading about how a disciplinary process works is different from understanding it. Text describes what happens; video shows what to expect. Hearing a manager explain the attendance policy in plain language is more memorable and more practical than reading it in formal prose.

Signed sheets prove nothing — An inspector or tribunal can see that someone signed an induction checklist. They can't see that the person understood anything. When something goes wrong, "they signed to say they read it" is not a compelling defence.

Updates create chaos — When you change a policy, you need to update the document, reprint the handbook, remove old versions, distribute new ones, and get everyone to sign again. Most organisations give up and let policies drift out of date.

Video-based handbooks address each of these problems:

Staff actually watch videos — People engage with video content in ways they don't engage with text. A five-minute video explaining your grievance procedure is more likely to be watched than a two-page document is to be read.

Explanation beats description — Showing how your flexible working request process works, or having a manager explain what happens during a probation review, is more effective than describing it in text. Video captures the tone and the nuance that text misses.

View tracking provides evidence — Pilla records when each team member watched each video. You can prove that specific policies were communicated to specific people at specific times. This creates genuine evidence of due diligence.

Updates are seamless — When you change a policy, record a new video. Pilla identifies who needs to watch the updated version. Staff get notified. View tracking resets for the new content. The handbook maintains compliance automatically.

What an employee handbook covers

Your employee handbook is the documented framework that sets the rules for how your team works. It includes:

Workplace policies — The rules and procedures that govern conduct, performance, and working arrangements. Attendance, discipline, grievance, dress code, probation, and flexible working.

Leave entitlements — The time-off policies that define what leave people get and how they request it. Annual leave, sick leave, maternity and paternity leave, bereavement leave, public holidays, casual worker leave, part-time worker leave, and time off in lieu.

The articles below guide you through recording video content for each policy. They explain what to cover in your video, how to structure your recording, and the common questions your team will ask.

Building your video library

Pilla lets you structure your employee handbook as a video library. Instead of a paper handbook that nobody reads, you create short videos explaining your specific policies.

How it works:

• Record videos explaining each policy in plain language, with real examples from your workplace
• Upload them to Pilla's video library
• Link videos to onboarding so new starters see them from day one
• Track who has watched which policy and when

Workplace policies

These are the policies that define how your workplace operates — from attendance expectations to disciplinary processes. Each article guides you through recording a video that explains the policy clearly, gives practical advice on structuring your recording, and anticipates the questions your team will ask.

Leave entitlements

Leave entitlements define what time off your team is entitled to and how they request it. Each article guides you through recording a policy video that explains your entitlements clearly, how to structure the recording, and the questions staff will ask.

Common mistakes

Recording videos but not tracking viewing — A video library is useless if you don't know whether anyone watched. Use Pilla's analytics to identify gaps and follow up.

Making videos too long — Staff won't watch a 20-minute policy explanation. Keep each video focused on one policy, under 5 minutes. Break complex policies into parts if needed.

Recording generic content — Videos should reflect your specific policies, not generic legal advice. If your annual leave policy is more generous than statutory, say so. Generic content doesn't answer the question "what does this mean for me?"

Not updating when policies change — An outdated policy video teaches the wrong rules. When something changes — new entitlements, revised procedures, legal updates — record a new version.

Covering every policy on day one — New starters can't absorb 14 policy videos in their first morning. Schedule policy videos across the first few weeks, starting with the essentials (attendance, health and safety) and introducing others progressively.

Inconsistent enforcement — A policy video that says one thing while managers do another destroys credibility. Ensure the policies you record are the policies you actually follow.

Forgetting leave policies — Workplace policies like discipline and grievance get attention because they involve conflict. Leave policies are just as important — unclear leave entitlements cause frustration, errors, and legal risk.

How Pilla helps

Pilla turns your employee handbook into a video library that staff actually engage with:

• Video library — Record short policy videos that staff watch on their phone. More engaging than a written handbook, more accessible than a printed document.
• Onboarding integration — New starters watch essential policy videos as part of their induction programme. Each video is linked to the relevant onboarding checklist item.
• View tracking — See who has watched each policy video, when they watched it, and whether they completed it. Evidence that communication actually happened.
• Update management — When you update a policy, record a new video. Pilla identifies who needs to watch the updated version and tracks completion.
• Push notifications — When a new or updated policy video is published, staff are notified instantly. No more hoping people check the noticeboard.
• Connected to scheduling — Your attendance policy, flexible working arrangements, and leave entitlements connect directly to your schedule. The policies define the rules; the schedule implements them.

Next steps

Your employee handbook defines the rules. Your schedule is where you put them into practice — building rotas that comply with working time regulations, accommodate flexible working requests, and reflect the attendance standards you've set.

The two guides work together:

• Your handbook defines leave entitlements; your schedule accounts for approved time off
• Your handbook sets attendance expectations; your schedule defines when people are expected to be at work
• Your handbook establishes flexible working arrangements; your schedule implements them

Without clear policies, scheduling decisions are arbitrary. Without good scheduling, policies are theoretical. Both need to work together to create a system that's consistent, compliant, and trusted by your team.