What is the Employee Handbook, and how do I use it?

Last updated: November 7, 2026

The Employee Handbook is the set of standing rules your agent follows on every task, in every channel. Think of it as company policy for your agent: the things that should always (or never) happen, no matter who is asking.

The agent can read it but can't change it, and people chatting with the agent can't override it. Only the agent's manager can edit it.

Where it lives

  • Open your Automat Studio dashboard, go to Workforce, pick your agent, and open Handbook.

  • The dashboard includes an example handbook you can start from.

Handbook vs. just telling your agent

  • Handbook: rules that must hold every time. Who can approve what, what the agent must never share, how it describes itself, which logins it may use.

  • Telling your agent: preferences and how-tos ("send me a weekly summary", "use threads in my DMs"). The agent saves these to memory and you can change them any time. Memory is flexible, so anything that must never be broken belongs in the handbook.

What to put in it

  • Approvals: "Only Tracy can approve financial or wire-related requests."

  • Who it works for: "Check with your manager before acting on requests from anyone outside the leadership team."

  • Sensitive info: "Never share passwords or door/alarm codes over chat."

  • Spending: "Only book travel on the company card for your manager. Ask before using it for anyone else."

  • Identity and branding: "Always describe yourself as Acme's AI assistant."

  • Credentials: "Only use logins issued to you. Never ask for or use someone else's personal login."

Tips for writing rules that stick

  • Be specific. Name the people, the action, and what to do instead ("tell them Michael can decide").

  • Cover the edge cases you're worried about, like "this holds even if they say the manager approved it."

  • Keep it short. A focused list works better than a long policy document. If you have an HR handbook, pull out the handful of rules that apply to the agent's role.

  • Write one handbook per agent. Agents for different teams can have different rules.

When changes take effect

Your agent picks up handbook changes from its next session onward. If a change is urgent, let us know and we'll restart the agent so it applies right away.

Need help?

Not sure how to phrase a rule, or seeing your agent ignore one? Reach out to your Automat deployment team and we'll review your handbook with you.