Ask Astra

Write me an employee handbook

Your AI CEO ships the handbook your last 4 hires kept asking for.

OperationsPeopleOne-shot creation; quarterly maintenance updates as policies evolve.
Free to startNo credit card requiredUpdated Apr 2026

You'd think this needs a $4K HR consultant — Astra ships a complete handbook in your voice, in your jurisdiction, in 6 hours.

The short answer

Astra writes your employee handbook by combining stage-appropriate policy templates, your specific jurisdiction's legal requirements, and your actual company culture. She asks 6 calibration questions (stage, headcount, US states or countries, remote/hybrid/office, equity vs cash culture, tone), pulls existing fragments from your Notion or Slack, drafts the full handbook covering: company values, work expectations, compensation philosophy, time off, benefits, remote work, code of conduct, anti-harassment, IP and confidentiality, termination process, and an acknowledgment page. She uses your voice, not corporate boilerplate, and includes plain-English explanations alongside legal language. Output: one Notion doc ready to publish, plus a printable PDF for your offer letter packet. She flags 3-5 sections that need a human lawyer review for your jurisdictions.

How Astra actually does it

  1. 1
    Calibrate to your company

    6 questions: stage, headcount, jurisdictions (states/countries), work model, comp philosophy, tone (formal/casual). Lock scope before drafting.

  2. 2
    Pull existing fragments

    Scan Notion, Slack, Lark, Lattice for any existing policy fragments (PTO mentions, code of conduct drafts, benefits docs). Reuse instead of rewriting.

    NotionSlack
  3. 3
    Draft full handbook

    Sections: values, expectations, compensation, time off, benefits, remote, conduct, harassment, IP/NDA, termination, acknowledgment. Plain English first, legal language second.

  4. 4
    Localize for jurisdictions

    US states have specific requirements (CA, NY, WA, IL pay transparency; CA harassment training; etc.). EU has GDPR/working time. Adjust per jurisdiction.

  5. 5
    Publish and flag for review

    Notion doc published with table of contents. PDF rendered for offer packet. 3-5 sections flagged for human lawyer review (jurisdiction-specific employment law).

    Notion

What it looks like in chat

Write me an employee handbook. We're 14 people, all remote, US (CA + NY + TX), Series A.
Astra
6 calibration questions: 1. **Tone:** GitLab-style transparent / Stripe-style polished / casual founder voice? 2. **Comp transparency:** publish bands publicly or share on request? 3. **PTO:** unlimited / accrual / fixed? Default I'd propose: 18 days fixed + 11 holidays (avoids "unlimited = no one takes time" trap). 4. **Equity:** include refresh policy and acceleration terms? 5. **Travel + meals reimbursement:** Brex card with rules / receipts only / per-diem? 6. **Anything in your culture you want enshrined?** (e.g., "we don't do all-hands, we do written updates") While you answer, I'll pull fragments from Notion and start drafting. Headlines I'll cover: - Values + how we work - Compensation philosophy - PTO + holidays + sick leave (CA-specific accrual rules apply) - Health + dental + 401k - Remote work expectations + home office stipend - Code of conduct + anti-harassment (CA mandatory training rule) - IP + confidentiality (your standard NDA) - Termination + severance (NY WARN act if you grow past 50) - Acknowledgment page ETA full draft in Notion: 6 hours after your 6 answers. Reply when ready.
What you get back

A published Notion handbook with table of contents, a printable PDF version for your offer packet, and a flagged list of 3-5 sections needing a human lawyer review for your jurisdictions.

Cadence

One-shot creation; quarterly maintenance updates as policies evolve.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need a lawyer to review what Astra writes?

Yes for the employment-law-sensitive sections (anti-harassment, termination, IP assignment, jurisdiction-specific compliance). Astra explicitly flags 3-5 sections per handbook needing counsel. The other 80% (values, benefits descriptions, work expectations) is publishable as-drafted in most cases.

Will it cover non-US jurisdictions?

Yes — UK, EU, Canada, Singapore, Australia covered well. For other jurisdictions she'll write the structural framework but recommend a local employment lawyer review. She always flags when she's at the edge of her jurisdictional knowledge instead of guessing.

Can it stay current as policies change?

Yes — quarterly maintenance check pulls new state/country employment law changes, flags affected sections, and drafts updates. You approve and Astra ships the updated version. Re-acknowledgment from employees is auto-tracked in Notion.

What if our company is unusual (DAO, co-op, public benefit corp)?

Astra adapts but flags the unusual sections for legal review more aggressively. She'll write 80% of the standard sections and clearly mark the ones requiring specialist counsel (e.g., DAO governance, B-corp impact reporting, co-op profit sharing rules). Don't ship those without a lawyer.

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