Subject Index A - HSBC careers site

Section 5 – Your Career with the Company
This section sets out information on training, development and other matters which
may be relevant during your career with the Company.
Separate handbooks are issued for employees in other parts of the HSBC Group
within the UK, e.g. HSBC Treasury and Capital Markets, first direct and those
employees working on the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. The parent company of
the Group, HSBC Holdings plc, also issues its own handbook for its employees.
This Handbook supersedes earlier versions of the Employee Handbook which may be
referred to in your current offer letter from the Company. All references in such
documents to earlier handbooks should now be taken to refer to this Handbook.
About HR Procedures, Policies and other HR Documents
The Human Resources Procedures Manual (the "HR Procedures Manual"), which can
be found on the Company's intranet, contains the Company’s principal HR policies
and procedures. You can navigate through the HR Procedures Manual by using the A-
Z index. At the end of most sections of the HR Procedures Manual there are contact
details, so that you know who has the expertise to guide you with any specific issues.
It is important that you take an opportunity within the first few weeks of your
employment with the Company to familiarise yourself with the format and contents of
the HR Procedures Manual. The HR Procedures Manual does not form part of your
contract of employment.
Other sources of information specific to certain situations, such as the ‘Maternity
Guide’ or ‘Core Procedures Manual’ are referred to in the HR Procedures Manual and
can be obtained from your line manager or through the Company's intranet.
Where a matter is referred to in the Handbook and further information is contained in
the HR Procedures Manual or other documents, directions to the appropriate
document will normally be provided. Please note, however, that any documents
referred to in this Handbook do not form part of your contract of employment (unless
otherwise expressly stated) and are not incorporated into your contract of employment
by reference.
What is the difference between a policy and a procedure
Most of the sources of information are referred to as ‘policies’ and/or ‘procedures’. A
policy usually describes the Company’s approach to a certain issue. A procedure
usually describes the process which the Company will follow in respect of a particular
issue. Some subjects will have both a policy and a procedure, in other subjects the
policy may form part of the procedure.
Regardless of whether information on a particular subject is called a ‘policy’, a
‘procedure’ or both, the key factor is that they set out guidance on how you should
act, and how the Company will act towards you.
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