Employee Handbook (US) by OLL
This comprehensive template provides a modular employee handbook designed for businesses operating in the United States. It covers essential employment topics including at-will employment, equal opportunity, wage and hour classifications, remote work policies, and standard codes of conduct.
EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK
Employer: [full legal name of the employer]
Version: [handbook version number] Effective: [handbook effective date]
Note: This handbook is a modular policy suite. Each Section is drafted to stand alone so it can be published as an individual policy and updated without reopening the whole document. Delete any Section that does not apply and renumber. Complete every yellow field and complete Exhibit A.
Note: Employment law in the United States is largely state law. Paid sick leave, final paycheck timing, meal and rest breaks, pay transparency, and non-compete enforceability all vary by state and sometimes by city. This handbook sets out the federal baseline and flags where state law applies. Confirm the requirements for every state where you have employees before issuing it, and add state supplements where you operate in more than one.
1. INTRODUCTION AND AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT
1.1 Purpose. This handbook describes the policies and expectations that apply at our company. It replaces all previous handbooks and policy statements.
1.2 At-will employment. Except where state law provides otherwise, employment with the Company is at will. This means that you may resign at any time, with or without notice or reason, and the Company may end your employment at any time, with or without notice or cause. Nothing in this handbook creates a contract of employment or a guarantee of employment for any period.
Note: At-will employment is the default in every state except Montana, which by statute allows termination only for good cause once an employee completes the employer's probationary period. If you employ anyone in Montana, this Section needs a state supplement. Several states also recognize exceptions for public policy, implied contract, or good faith and fair dealing, which is why an express at-will statement and the disclaimer in Section 1.3 matter.
1.3 Not a contract. This handbook is not a contract, express or implied, and does not create any contractual rights. The Company may change, suspend, or withdraw any policy in it at any time, with or without notice, other than the at-will nature of employment, which may be changed only by a written agreement signed by an authorized officer of the Company.
Note: Carving out the at-will status from the general right to amend is deliberate. It prevents an argument that some later informal statement or practice changed at-will status, while leaving the Company free to update everything else.
1.4 Protected activity. Nothing in this handbook is intended to restrict, and this handbook will not be interpreted or applied to restrict, any right you have under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act to engage in protected concerted activity, including discussing your wages, hours, or working conditions with coworkers or others.
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This version is drafted for US law generally. Contract, employment and consumer rules vary by state — for example on non-competes and at-will employment. Tell GitLaw which state applies and it adjusts the draft.
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