The story of how a business started, grew and became what it is today, told in a way employees and customers can use.
New employees join a business that already has habits, priorities and unwritten rules. A short history explains where those came from. When a new shift supervisor learns that the company started as a two-van cleaning crew that won clients by always showing up on time, the attendance policy stops feeling like an arbitrary rule.
EZTime digital HR forms let you send, sign and file employee documents online.
A company history also gives managers shared stories to draw on. In team meetings and recognition moments, pointing to a real event from the company’s past is more persuasive than a slogan on the wall.
Externally, a clear history builds trust. Customers, partners and job candidates often look at the About page to judge whether a business is stable and serious. Accurate dates and plain facts do more for credibility than vague claims about passion and excellence.
A family-owned landscaping company with 45 seasonal and year-round employees writes its history for the onboarding packet. It covers four points: the founder started mowing lawns with one truck in 2009; in 2014 the company added snow removal so crews could work all year; in 2019 a second yard opened in the next county; and in 2023 the founder’s daughter took over operations and introduced a mobile time clock so crews no longer phoned in hours. Each point is one or two sentences. New hires read it on day one, and the operations manager mentions the snow removal decision when explaining why winter shifts are offered to seasonal staff first.
| Year | Event | Source | Why it matters today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Founder starts with one truck and 12 lawns | Incorporation record, first invoices | Crews still own their routes |
| 2014 | Snow removal added for year-round work | Price list from 2014 | Seasonal staff can stay all year |
| 2018 | Second yard opens across town | Lease agreement | Crews start from the nearest yard |
| 2023 | First crew lead promoted from a seasonal hire | HR record | Promotion from within is the norm |
The source column keeps the history honest: if no document supports a date, mark it as approximate. The last column is what makes a timeline useful in onboarding rather than just a list of dates.
Usually the founder, an owner or someone in HR or marketing, with input from employees who were there for the key events. One person should own the final text.
A one-paragraph summary for public use and onboarding, plus an optional internal timeline that can run a page or two.
Often yes. A difficult year that the business got through can explain a lot about current priorities, as long as it is described factually and respectfully.
The history describes what happened. A mission statement describes what the company does and why. The two work well together on an About page.
Book a demo and an EZTime specialist can show how your team could handle this with a time and attendance system.
Yes, if the facts are accurate and respectful. Ask before using photos or personal stories, and avoid details people would not want shared.
Keep the full timeline in one shared place that HR and marketing can both update, and use the short version on the website and in onboarding.
An EZTime specialist can walk you through it using your own team’s setup.