How to write an employee handbook for Turkey

What is an employee handbook and why do you need one?

An employee handbook brings a company's working rules, policies, rights and responsibilities together in one document. It is the first place a new hire looks for answers to questions such as "What time does the working day start?", "How do I request leave?" and "How do I claim expenses?". For existing staff, it shows that the rules are written down and apply equally to everyone.

For international companies with employees in Turkey, a handbook has an extra job: a global handbook written for another jurisdiction rarely fits Turkish labour law as it stands. Leave entitlements, working time limits, overtime rules and data protection requirements under KVKK (the Turkish Personal Data Protection Law) all need a local version or a Turkey supplement.

A well-prepared handbook does three things:

• Consistency: it stops different managers giving different answers to the same question.
• Legal support: it documents that rules were communicated. In matters such as discipline, overtime or termination, written and notified rules support the employer's position.
• Faster onboarding: new hires can find basic information themselves instead of asking repeatedly.

A handbook does not replace the employment contract. The contract is signed individually and sets core terms; the handbook describes general rules and processes that apply to everyone. In workplaces with a collective bargaining agreement (toplu iş sözleşmesi, TİS), the handbook must not conflict with it.

Which sections should an employee handbook include?

Every handbook reflects its company, but the sections below form the core structure for most employers in Turkey.

How do you write the working time section?

Working time is the most-consulted part of any handbook and must comply with Turkish law. The general rules are:

• Weekly working time is at most 45 hours.
• Work beyond 45 hours a week is overtime; it is paid at a 50% premium, is capped at 270 hours a year and requires the employee's written consent.
• Night work (between 20:00 and 06:00) may not exceed 7.5 hours.
• Employees are entitled to at least 24 hours of uninterrupted weekly rest.
• Work on a public holiday earns an additional day's pay.

In the handbook, describe your company's practice: start and finish times, flexible working rules, and who approves overtime and how. See our overtime rules guide for Turkey and remote work guide.

What should the leave section include?

Leave is one of the topics employees ask about most. State the statutory minimums clearly, together with any extra entitlements your company offers.

This section should also cover how to request leave, the approval flow, how much notice is needed and who to inform in case of sickness. Global policies often express leave in a different way (for example in working days or accrual per month); make sure the Turkish version never falls below these minimums. See our annual leave guide for Turkey and the annual leave calculator.

How should pay and benefits be described?

Describe the pay day and payment method, how payslips are delivered, and which benefits (meals, transport, private health insurance and so on) apply to whom and under what conditions. Do not include individual pay amounts; those belong in the employment contract or pay letter.

If you have pay review and promotion rules, set out the general principles, such as when reviews take place and which criteria are considered. See our salary increase policy guide and employee benefits guide.

How do you write the code of conduct and discipline section?

The code of conduct turns company values into concrete behaviour: how to declare a conflict of interest, whether gifts from business partners may be accepted, how to post about the company on social media.

When writing the disciplinary process:

• Define clearly and proportionately which behaviours can lead to which stage (verbal warning, written warning and so on).
• State that the employee's defence will be heard.
• Make sure the rules do not conflict with the Turkish Labour Law or any TİS; sanctions such as pay deductions are subject to legal limits.
• Describe complaint and whistleblowing channels, how confidentiality is protected and the ban on retaliation.

Disciplinary practices that are common in other countries may not be valid in Turkey. Have the discipline and termination rules reviewed by a Turkish employment lawyer.

What should the health and safety section cover?

Occupational health and safety (İSG) rules matter in offices as well as in production and field sites. Set out the basic safety rules, use of personal protective equipment, how and to whom accidents and near misses are reported, emergency assembly points and first aid contacts. The employer's separate obligations, such as safety training and risk assessment, still apply; the handbook does not replace them, it only summarises key points for employees. See our occupational safety guide for employers.

Why is the KVKK and information security section important?

The handbook is a good place to explain how employees' personal data is processed and to set out the company's data security rules. However, the privacy notice required under KVKK should also be prepared as a separate document and given to employees separately. In the handbook, include:

• Rules for using company devices and email.
• Password, access and data sharing rules.
• The purpose of any monitoring, such as cameras or access control systems.
• Who to notify when a data breach is noticed.

If employee data is transferred to a parent company abroad, explain this in the privacy notice as well. See our KVKK HR compliance guide.

How do you prepare a handbook step by step?

1. Collect existing rules: list scattered emails, policies and unwritten practices, including any global policies that apply.
2. Check them against the law: confirm each rule complies with the Labour Law, health and safety rules, KVKK and any TİS.
3. Build the structure: adapt the sections above to your company.
4. Write plainly: use short sentences, examples and wording that answers "what should I do?".
5. Get stakeholder input: ask managers, finance, IT and legal to review.
6. Get legal review: especially for discipline, termination and data processing sections.
7. Translate: publish in Turkish, and in English or other languages your workforce uses; state which version prevails.
8. Publish and notify: share it with employees and document that they have read it.
9. Set an update schedule: name an owner and a review frequency.

How do you roll out the handbook and get acknowledgement?

A handbook is only effective once employees have been notified of it. To achieve that:

• Give it to new hires when they start and record their acknowledgement by signature or electronic confirmation. Add this step to your onboarding process.
• Announce new versions to existing employees and collect read confirmations.
• Summarise important changes separately; do not expect people to reread the whole document.
• Keep the handbook somewhere easy to access and make clear which version is current.

Rules that involve a material change to working conditions (for example to working hours, pay or place of work) cannot be introduced simply by adding them to the handbook; they require the employee's written consent. Where you are unsure, confirm the current rules with the official source and consult your legal adviser.

How often should the handbook be updated?

Reviewing it at least once a year is good practice. Update it also when:

• The law changes (for example leave, working time or data protection rules).
• The company introduces a new policy (for example remote work or a benefits change).
• The organisation structure or communication channels change.
• Employees keep asking the same question, which shows a section is not clear enough.

Change the version number and date with every update and add a summary of changes at the start of the document.

What are the common mistakes?

• Rules below the legal minimum: rules that fall below statutory rights are invalid.
• Copying a global handbook unchanged: foreign rules on leave, working time or discipline may not fit Turkish law.
• Long, legalistic language: a handbook nobody reads does not do its job.
• No notification: it is hard to rely on a rule employees were never told about.
• No updates: a gap between written rules and practice damages trust.
• Individual details: personal information such as pay amounts belongs in the contract.