GuidesOrganisation

Organise policies into groups

Structure your handbook so employees can find their way around it and the published version reads as a proper document.

3 min readUpdated 21 September 2026Reviewed for UK law

What are policy groups?

Groups are the chapters or sections of your employee handbook. Instead of one long list of policies, groups organise them into categories that follow the employee lifecycle, from joining the company to leaving it.

Why use groups

Better navigation: Employees can quickly find what they need.
A finished look: Published handbooks have a clear chapter structure.
Logical flow: Policies appear in a sensible order rather than alphabetically.
Gap visibility: See which groups are complete and which are missing policies.

Default group structure

Regulyn provides 10 default groups based on the employee lifecycle. They cover most handbook structures and can be customised or extended.

1. Introduction: Welcome and company overview
2. Starting Work: Onboarding, checks, probation
3. Employment Terms: Hours, flexibility, working arrangements
4. Pay & Benefits: Compensation, pension, expenses
5. Leave & Time Off: All leave entitlements
6. Health, Safety & Wellbeing: H&S duties, emergency procedures
7. Conduct & Standards: Behaviour, equality, policies
8. Performance: Reviews, development, appraisals
9. Problems at Work: Disciplinary, grievance, whistleblowing
10. Leaving the Company: Notice, redundancy, exit

Managing groups

Go to Groups in the sidebar to view and manage your handbook structure.

Policy Groups page showing totals for groups, policies and ungrouped policies, above a list of groups such as Introduction, Starting Work and Employment Terms with the policies inside each one

The Policy Groups page: totals at the top, then each group with its policies.

Create a new group

Click "New Group" to create a custom group. You will need to provide:

Code: A unique identifier using lowercase letters, numbers and underscores only, for example company_info
Name: The display name, for example "Company Information"
Description: An optional brief description

Create New Group dialog with fields for Code, Name and Description, and Cancel and Create buttons

The Create New Group dialog.

Reorder groups

Use the up and down buttons to move groups. The order here determines the chapter order in your published handbook.

Edit or delete groups

Click the pencil icon to edit a group's name or description. Click the bin icon to delete a group.

Assign policies to groups

Click the arrow at the end of any policy row. The Assign Policy to Group dialog opens with that policy at the top and your groups listed below it. Select a group and click Assign.

The same arrow moves a policy that is already in a group. To take a policy out of every group, choose No Group (Ungrouped).

Assign Policy to Group dialog showing the Use of Private Vehicles policy and a list of groups to choose from, with Employment Terms selected and an Assign button

Assigning a policy: pick the group, then click Assign.

Ungrouped policies

At the bottom of the Groups page you will see any policy types that have not been assigned to a group. These appear in an "Other Policies" section in your published handbook.

To sort them all at once, click "Apply Default Groupings". Regulyn places each policy in its recommended group, and you can move any of them afterwards.

Example handbook structure

A well-organised handbook might look like this when published:

1. Introduction: Welcome Message, Company Values, Professional Conduct
2. Starting Work: Background Checks, Probation, Personal Information
3. Employment Terms: Working Hours, Flexible Working, Remote Work
4. Pay & Benefits: Pension, Expenses, Referral Bonus
5. Leave & Time Off: Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Maternity, Paternity, Carers Leave and so on

And so on through to Leaving the Company.

Tips for organising groups

Follow the employee journey: Start with joining (onboarding, probation) and end with leaving (notice, redundancy, exit).
Keep groups balanced: Aim for 3 to 8 policies per group. Too few feels sparse; too many is hard to navigate.
Use descriptive names: "Leave & Time Off" is clearer than "Leave". Think about what employees would search for.
Do not over-customise: The default groups work for most organisations. Only create custom groups if you have a genuine need, such as industry-specific policies.

Frequently asked questions

What are policy groups in Regulyn?

Policy groups are logical categories that organise your handbook policies into sections. For example, 'Leave & Time Off' might contain your annual leave, sick leave, and parental leave policies. Groups appear as chapters in your published handbook and help employees find relevant policies.

What default groups does Regulyn provide?

Regulyn provides 10 default groups: Introduction, Starting Work, Employment Terms, Pay & Benefits, Leave & Time Off, Health Safety & Wellbeing, Conduct & Standards, Performance, Problems at Work, and Leaving the Company. You can use these as-is, modify them, or create your own.

Can I create custom policy groups?

Yes, you can create custom groups to match your organisation's structure. Add new groups, rename existing ones, change their order, or delete groups you don't need. Each group can have a name and description that appears in your published handbook.

What happens to ungrouped policies?

Policies not assigned to any group appear in an 'Ungrouped' section on the Groups page. They'll still be included in your handbook but won't appear in the table of contents until assigned to a group. We recommend grouping all policies before publishing.

Does group order matter?

Yes, group order determines how chapters appear in your published handbook. Use the up and down arrows to reorder groups - typically start with introductory content, then employment fundamentals, followed by conduct and procedures, ending with leaving processes.

Organise your handbook

Ready to structure your handbook? Head to the Groups page to get started.

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