Employee Handbook

This Attendance and Punctuality Policy is for private workplaces and outlines a company’s attendance policy and related procedures for employees. Additionally, this policy can help employers establish business and work hours, as well as pay procedures and overtime compensation. Employers may incorporate this policy into an employee handbook or use it as a stand-alone policy document. State or local laws may impose different or additional requirements. Thus, employers should...

Employers that use background check information should implement and maintain a Background Check Policy in order to educate their employees. Additionally, employers should train managers and individuals responsible for hiring on compliance with federal, state, and local law. Because state or local laws may impose additional or different requirements on employers, they should be referenced with this Policy. Employers may incorporate this Background Check Policy into an employee...

This Bring Your Own Device to Work Policy (BYOD) is designed to establish rules for employees who use personal electronic devices like smartphones and tablets for work. Employers should customize their Bring Your Own Device to Work Policy based on the specific circumstances of their business and industry. Additionally, employers may incorporate this policy into an employee handbook or use it as a stand-alone policy...

This consensual romance in the workplace agreement or policy (also known as a love contract) is for two romantically-involved employees. This workplace romance policy allows those employees to acknowledge a consensual relationship and relevant employer anti-harassment rules. Some employers allow employees to engage in romantic relationships with one another. Employers may ask romantically involved employees to sign an agreement stating that their romantic relationship is entirely...

Employers should tailor this Dress Code and Grooming Policy to reflect the employer’s particular business environment and organizational culture. Although not required by federal law, employers may establish dress codes and grooming standards that apply to either all employees or employees with certain job categories. Employers can incorporate this Dress Code and Grooming Policy into an employee handbook or use it as a stand-alone policy. This policy's clauses comply with federal...

This Employee Face Mask Policy governs the required or recommended wearing of face masks or face coverings in the workplace. Employers may use this policy to provide protocols to help maintain a safe and healthy workplace. Specifically, employers can use this policy when reopening after closures caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This policy adopts guidelines issued by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Occupational Safety and...

This Employment Reference Policy provides a policy regarding employment references for former or current employees. This policy can be helpful because prospective employers often seek employment references regarding a company's former or current employees. Additionally, a former or current employee may contact their supervisor, manager, or coworker for a recommendation. Such employees often contact others for a recommendation either directly or through a social media website, such...

This is an employee policy for military service leave. All US public and private employers, regardless of size, must provide military service leave to employees under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). This policy outlines the eligibility requirements and procedures for employees who are absent from work to perform military service. It also provides certain information about employees’ reemployment rights after military service leave....

This nepotism policy, sometimes referred to as anti-nepotism, is an employee policy for private employees, applicable only to private workplaces. Nepotism, or favoritism based on a family relationship, can lead to many undesirable results. Some undesirable results of nepotism include loss of superior talent, ineffective supervision, and resentment and negative effect on employee morale. Nepotism in the private sector is not per se illegal. However, nepotism in the workplace may...

This Paid Time Off Policy (Vacation Policy) is for private employers. This employee policy addresses the accrual, use, and carryover of PTO, vacation, and sick days. Employers may incorporate this policy into an employee handbook or use it as a stand-alone policy document. State or local laws may impose different or additional requirements for employers to provide paid sick leave for their employees. Thus, employers should modify this policy, as needed, in order to comply with...

This Religious Accommodations Policy outlines a private employer’s policy about religious accommodations, as part of equal employment opportunities. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) requires covered employers to reasonably accommodate an applicant's or employee's sincerely held religious belief if there is a conflict between the individual's religious belief or practice and a work requirement, unless it would cause an undue hardship on the employer's...

This Smoke-Free Workplace Policy is for employers that prohibit smoking. There is no federal law requiring private employers to ban smoking in the workplace. However, many employers prohibit smoking to protect workers and others from health hazards related to secondhand smoke exposure. Additionally, some states have enacted laws prohibiting smoking in the workplace and requiring employers to implement smoke-free policies. For example, New York and Indiana have laws requiring...