# basecamp/handbook

37signals Employee Handbook

Repository: https://github.com/basecamp/handbook
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/handbook
Homepage: https://basecamp.com/handbook
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-05-01T12:18:06+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 68/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 80, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3410, "days_push": 124, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 6649, forks 777 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:47.294900+00:00)

## What it is
The open-source employee handbook of 37signals (Basecamp), published as a collection of Markdown documents covering policies, benefits, remote-work practices, and company culture. It is a documentation resource rather than software, versioned on GitHub so changes can be followed over time.

## Use cases
- write an employee handbook for a remote-first company
- learn how 37signals handles onboarding and benefits
- research remote work policies and culture
- model company policies like moonlighting and severance
- structure internal documentation as a public handbook

## When to choose
- you want a real-world reference for remote-first company policies
- you are drafting or revising your own employee handbook
- you want to study 37signals' culture and practices

## When to avoid
- you need software, a library, or a tool to install
- you need legally reviewed HR policies specific to your jurisdiction
- you need an interactive HR management system

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: active
- function: documentation
- domain: hr, developer-tools
- platform: -
- tags: employee-handbook, company-culture, remote-work, 37signals, policies, benefits, onboarding, web

## Member repositories
- basecamp/handbook (main) score 68

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:47.294900+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:43:07.882762+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/basecamp/handbook (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:47.294900+00:00, sha 42db6f898fbe)
  - homepage: https://basecamp.com/handbook (fetched 2026-08-29T08:39:43.048787+00:00, sha 0f4bc8088544)
  - site_page: https://basecamp.com/handbook/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T08:39:43.058032+00:00, sha df01bab0a299)
  - site_page: https://basecamp.com/handbook/moonlighting (fetched 2026-08-29T08:39:43.059920+00:00, sha 367a104416b0)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.