Welcome to the official Open Way Learning (OWL) Employee Handbook.
This living document is a public resource that outlines how we work, why we work the way we do, and the values that guide everything we do—both internally and externally. Like all organizations, we're subject to relevant laws and policies. But as an open organization grounded in collective leadership and the principles of radical transparency, this handbook also serves as the source code for our organizational culture.
“To scale deep, not just wide, requires being intentional about culture. We see culture not as the soft stuff, but as the operating system that enables everything else.”
— Jal Mehta, Harvard Graduate School of Education
This handbook includes guidance on:
- Our mission, vision, and ethos
- Benefits, compensation, and leave policies
- Roles and definitions (employees, fellows, interns, etc.)
- Feedback and growth practices
- Project management and service quality standards
- Tools and procedures for travel, reimbursement, and documentation
- Equity commitments and open-source licensing
- How to contribute updates to this handbook
In addition to Markdown-based policies, this handbook also includes important governing documents that are hosted in their original formats:
These are located in the Governance/ folder and are referenced throughout the handbook where applicable.
This is not a dusty PDF sitting in a forgotten drawer. It is a handbook built for iteration—an evolving reflection of our organization as we grow and learn.
We update this handbook often, based on team input, feedback from partners, and changing needs. If you have an idea for improving it, can propose a change or share your thoughts via OWL’s Document Control Policy (found in the Strategy & Innovation section).
Unless otherwise noted, all content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
That means you're free to use, remix, and share this content non-commercially. Just give proper credit.
To make navigation easier, this handbook is organized into the following sections (mirrored in GitBook):
Governance/– bylaws, code of ethics, legal policies, and governing documentsOperations-Finance/– expense, travel, tech, and budgeting policiesAdmin-HR/– compensation, leave, benefits, classificationsOutreach-Programming/– project delivery, client expectations, protocolsDevelopment-Research/– fundraising, grants, data, reportingStrategy-Innovation/– continuous improvement, learning org frameworksTemplates-Resources/– forms, checklists, and reusable tools
Reach out to the OWL Leadership Team or email [email protected] if you have questions, suggestions, or ideas.
Together, we're building something different...and better.