Ontario Employee Handbook template
Easily create a legally compliant Employee Handbook for Ontario
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Ontario Employee Handbook Template

Easily create a legally compliant Ontario employee handbook.

Looking for a comprehensive, legally compliant Ontario Employee Handbook template? Our professionally crafted template helps Ontario employers and HR professionals create a customized employee handbook that aligns with Ontario employment laws—without the hassle of starting from scratch.


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Included in the HR Toolkit's Employee Manual Kit.
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What’s included in the Ontario employee handbook template?

Our HR-approved Ontario handbook template includes essential policies required by law and recommended HR best practices:

Step-by-Step Instructions

Our step-by-step instructions make it easy to create and implement your Ontario Employee Handbook without confusion. Whether you're new to HR or an experienced professional, our clear, structured guidelines walk you through every stage—from customizing the template to ensuring compliance with Ontario labor laws. With simple, actionable steps, you'll have a professional, legally sound employee handbook ready in no time. 

✔  Project Checklist and Priorities –Ensure you don't miss any steps and know what to implement first. 

✔  Customizing Your Handbook – A step-by-step guide to adding your company’s name, branding, and unique policies.

✔  Understanding Ontario Compliance Requirements – Clear explanations of mandatory policies required by Ontario employment laws.

✔  Editing & Formatting Tips – Best practices for structuring content, ensuring readability, and maintaining professionalism.

✔  Distributing to Employees – Guidance on launching your Ontario employee handbook digitally for existing and new employees, and collecting signatures.

✔  Keeping Your Handbook Updated – Instructions on reviewing and revising policies as laws or company practices change.

Legally Required Policies for Ontario Employers

✔  Employment Standards & Compliance (aligned with ESA)

✔  Workplace Health & Safety (OHSA)

✔  Workplace Harassment & Violence Prevention

✔  Accessibility Standards (AODA Compliance)

✔  Leaves of Absence (sick leave, parental leave, etc.)

Recommended HR Policies & Best Practices

✔  Code of Conduct & Ethics

✔  Workplace Technology & Social Media Use

✔  Remote Work & Hybrid Work Guidelines

✔  Vacation, Sick Days & Paid Time Off (PTO)

✔  Termination & Resignation Procedures

✔  Step-by-step Instructions

Designed for small to mid-sized businesses in Ontario—customizable for startups, corporations, and nonprofits!

Included in the HR Toolkit's Employee Manual Kit.
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Why use our Ontario employee handbook template?

  • Step-by-Step Instructions - It's included in the Employee Manual Kit that guides you through each step of creating, formatting, launching (for existing or new employees) and maintaining your Ontario employee handbook. 
  • Ontario-Specific Compliance – Keeps you up to date with Ontario Employment Standards Act (ESA), Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), and AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act).
  • Fully Customizable – Edit policies and sections to reflect your company culture, industry, and HR best practices.
  • Saves Time & Money – No need to research legal requirements or hire expensive consultants—get a ready-to-use template at a fraction of the cost.
  • Easy-to-Update Format – Stay compliant with changing Ontario employment regulations using a flexible, easily editable format.

Who should use this Ontario employee handbook template?

  • Small business owners who need a legally sound HR manual.
  •  HR professionals looking for a simple, editable handbook.
  • Startups and growing companies hiring their first employees.
  • Ontario employers wanting to stay compliant without legal headaches.

Whether you're a startup, small business, or established company, our handbook template makes it easy to set clear policies, manage employee expectations, and protect your business from compliance risks.

Download your Ontario employee handbook template today!

Get Instant Access:

  1. Get the HR Toolkit which includes the Employee Manual Kit.
  2. Customize it to fit your needs.
  3. Share it with employees and stay legally compliant.

Ontario Employee Handbook FAQs

Do Ontario employers need an employee handbook?

While not legally required, having an Ontario-specific employee handbook helps ensure compliance with employment laws and sets clear workplace policies, reducing legal risks.

Is this template compliant with Ontario’s Employment Standards Act (ESA)?

Yes! Our template aligns with Ontario ESA, OHSA, and AODA regulations and includes the latest updates to Ontario employment laws.

Can I customize this handbook for my company?

Absolutely! The template is fully editable in Word or Google Docs, allowing you to tailor it to your business needs and industry.

What happens when employment laws change?

We keep our templates updated—so you’ll always have the latest compliant version!

Get Your Ontario Employee Handbook Template Now

Related Employee Handbook Templates

About the Employee Manual Kit

The Employee Manual Kit:  Different & Better

You can spend thousands of dollars — and hours — creating an employee manual that collects 'dust' on your shelves.  Or, you can create one that's easy-to-use, full of relevant content and written in every-day plain English. 

Here are the top 10 reasons why the HR Toolkit's Employee Manual Kit is the best employee handbook or manual template available. 

1.  Not just an employee manual template

It can be just a Word employee handbook template; but the Employee Manual Kit is a a complete platform to get your project over the finish line. From planning to launch, it includes guidance, tips, and step-by-step  customization instructions.

It also includes a sign-off form and project tools for when you launch your comprehensive manual. It's up to you how much help you access.  

2.  Flexible: go basic or comprehensive

Create Employee Manual
You get a comprehensive menu of topics and policies for each province we support. Together they sport a menu of  225+ topics / policies. We help you figure out what's important and how to prioritize what gets done first.  It's up to you if you want to go all the way with a complete Employee Manual that doubles as an orientation program for staff covering everything they need to know about your workplace, from information about your business to operational details. 

Create Condensed Employee Handbook
Or delete sections and topics with a click of a mouse to create a condensed employee handbook. 

3.  It's a professional and casual document

Made for Today's Workplace

  • Gender neutral. Written without the use of he, she, her, his, etc., without sounding forced.
  • Business-casual. Written in every day language in plain English (except where legalese is required)
  • Uses a modern and business-casual tone.

​Professionally-Written & Compliant​

  • Created by experienced HR professionals and consultants
  • Reviewed and edited by one professional writer with a Masters in instructional design resulting in consistent language & voice throughout.  
  • Reviewed by employment lawyers. 

Fresh, Clean & Easy-to-Read 

  • Professional formatting and auto-generated table of contents improves usability and makes you look like a pro!

  • Professional, consistent formatting applied from a custom suite of pre-defined styles
  • Clear, hierarchical header structure make the documents easy to scan and read.

4.  Dead-easy to customize

We've provided click and replace placeholders where you need to place your company-specific information.  Built with easy-to-use styles so you can brand your employee handbook with a couple of clicks.  It provides pre-written text for all policies / topics so you never have to start with a blank page. 

5.  It's well thought out

We've thought of all the details based on decades of helping 1000s of customers create their own employee manuals. You won't be left hanging and you won't hit a dead end. We've anticipated your roadblocks and answer your questions before you'll even know to ask them.    

6.  Help for topics & policies

You'll understand the purpose, importance and benefits of each topic;  any risks associated with it;  level of HR expertise, and time/effort required to customize it;  recommendations for legal review;  if any key decisions or approvals are required;  up-to-date links to the right pages on legislated websites; tips.   

7.  Help with Word & Excel 

We created the employee manual template, so the Word and Excel help we provide was written by us, specifically for using our templates.  You don't need advanced Word or Excel skills to work with the templates, but we know that there's nothing more annoying than getting stuck with a formatting challenge. Get quick snippet videos that tell you exactly how to make your manual look crisp and professional.

8.  Always up to date

The Employee Manual Kit is online so you'll always have access to the latest and greatest version of the templates and we let you know when we make changes.   

9.  You get product support

Get your questions answered from an extensive FAQ library, or contact us with your questions.

10.  It's a total bargain

The Employee Manual Kit was once it's own stand-alone product and is now one of 22 ready-to assemble kits included in HR Toolkit.  Even if you don't think you'll need the other kits, the Employee Handbook Kit is an affordable and cost-effective tool on its own. 

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