Required employee handbook policies by state

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• National: A new executive order directs federal agencies to cease the use and enforcement of “disparate impact” standards in civil rights investigations, regulations, and enforcement actions. The order argues that evaluating outcomes based on group statistics, rather than direct evidence of intentional discrimination, undermines individual merit, creates unfair advantages or disadvantages.

• Missouri: A voter-approved initiative calling for paid sick leave went into effect on May 1, 2025. Employers are required to provide 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. The state’s Supreme Court upheld the law after challenges.

• Missouri: The state’s minimum wage increase was also upheld. The new $15 minimum wage becomes effective January 1, 2026. The current minimum wage is $13.75/hr.

• Illinois: Employers are required to provide at least 24 consecutive hours of rest to employees each week under the One Day Rest in Seven Act. A recent bill prohibits retaliation against employees for exercising their rights under the act.

• Virginia: State Bill 1218 was recently signed into law. The legislation prohibits employers in Virginia from enforcing or entering into a non-compete agreement with an employee who earns less than the average wage in the state, which is currently around $76,081 per year. This legislation becomes effective in July 2025.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• Missouri - Employers must provide notice to their employees by April 15 about the new paid sick leave law that becomes effective on May 1, 2025. The new law provides either 40 or 56 hours of paid sick leave per year, depending on the size of the company.

• New Mexico - A new heat illness rule has been proposed to protect employees who work in hot conditions indoors or outdoors. It includes acclimatization, training, emergency procedures, and control measures.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• New York - Retail employers with 10 or more employees will need to adopt a workplace violence prevention policy. Larger employers with 500 or more employees have additional requirements, including installing a silent response button (SRB) or “panic button”. The effective date for this has been moved from March 4, 2025 to June 2, 2025.

• Wyoming - Non-compete agreements are much more difficult to enter into with employees and independent contractors in the state. A recently signed bill goes into effect July 1, 2025, and significantly narrows the exceptions in which a non-compete agreement is allowed.

• Federal - The State Department narrowed eligibility for nonimmigrant visa interview waivers, reducing the prior 48-month grace period to just 12 months and limiting waivers to applicants renewing visas in the same category. This change, made in response to an executive order aimed at tightening visa screening. This change affects H-1B visa applicants.

• Federal - Multiple executive orders have been issued and several are pending court challenges. Ongoing updates will be provided.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• New York - Retail employers with 10 or more employees will need to adopt a workplace violence prevention policy. Larger employers with 500 or more employees have additional requirements, including installing a silent response button (SRB) or “panic button”. The effective date for this has been moved from March 4, 2025 to June 2, 2025.

• Wyoming - Non-compete agreements are much more difficult to enter into with employees and independent contractors in the state. A recently signed bill goes into effect July 1, 2025, and significantly narrows the exceptions in which a non-compete agreement is allowed.

• Federal - The State Department narrowed eligibility for nonimmigrant visa interview waivers, reducing the prior 48-month grace period to just 12 months and limiting waivers to applicants renewing visas in the same category. This change, made in response to an executive order aimed at tightening visa screening. This change affects H-1B visa applicants.

• Federal - Multiple executive orders have been issued and several are pending court challenges. Ongoing updates will be provided.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• Michigan - The Michigan Earned Sick Time Act becomes effective on February 21, 2025. Employees accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Employees of small businesses (fewer than 10 employees) may use up to 40 hours of leave per year, while companies with 10 or more employees may use up to 72 hours per year.

• Federal - Multiple executive orders have been issued and several are pending court challenges. Ongoing updates will be provided.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• Multiple States - Many states had updates that require changes to handbook policies. You are encouraged to subscribe to incorporate the many important changes.

• Illinois - Effective January 1, 2025 employers are prohibited from using AI that has a discriminatory effect. Companies are also required to notify employees if they use AI for employment decisions.

• Illinois - Employers are required to retain pay stub information for at least 3 years and provide them to current or former employees upon request.

• Illinois - Employers must not discriminate against employees or applicants on the basis of family responsibilities. A new law is effective January 1, 2025.

• Missouri - Effective January 1, 2025 applicants may answer in the negative to prior convictions that have been expunged.

• New Hampshire - Many private employers who receive state funds may no longer prohibit employees from keeping a firearm in their vehicle at work.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• Massachusetts - Effective November 21, 2024, employees can use earned sick time to “address the employee’s own physical and mental health needs, and those of their spouse, if the employee or the employee’s spouse experiences pregnancy loss or a failed assisted reproduction, adoption or surrogacy.”

• Alaska - As a result of Ballot Measure 1 , which passed in November several significant changes are coming including state-wide paid sick leave. Employees will accrue up to 56 hours of paid leave. The policy goes into effect July 1, 2025.

• Alaska - Voters also approved a minimum wage increase to $13/hour and restrictions to mandatory employee meetings on religious or political topics.

• Missouri - Effective May 1, 2025, Missouri employees will earn paid sick leave. Companies with 15 or more employees earn up to 56 hours, while companies with 14 or fewer employees earn up to 40 hours of paid leave. The state minimum wage was also increased to $15/hour.

• Nebraska - Employers with 20 or more employees must provide up to 56 hours of paid sick leave to employees. Companies with 19 or fewer employees must provide up to 40 hours. Nebraska voters approved a ballot initiative which goes into effect on October 1, 2025.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• Connecticut - Family Violence Leave has been updated to include victims of sexual assault. Companies with 3 or more employees are required to provide up to 12 days of leave for employees who qualify for leave.

• Maryland - The Maryland Equal Pay for Equal Work Act was updated to prohibit pay discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, disability, or religious beliefs.

• Maryland - Effective October 1, 2024, companies are required to post wages and descriptions of benefits with all job postings that will be performed at least partly in Maryland.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• Illinois - In House Bill 3773, the Illinois Human Rights Act was amended to protect against discrimination and require transparency regarding the use of AI in companies.

• Illinois - Employers are prohibited from requiring employees to attend mandatory “captive audience” meetings concerning union representation. The legislation goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

• Louisiana - Only workers under 16 years of age are entitled to a meal break when working 5 or more consecutive hours. The previous age required was 18.

• Minnesota - Employers are required to maintain health coverage while employees are utilizing an accommodation for pregnancy.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• Minnesota - While employees take paid parental leave, employers are required to contribute to health benefits as if the employee were working. Additionally, prenatal care medical appointments do not count against the employee’s 12-week leave entitlement under the pregnancy and parental leave law.

• California - Cal/OSHA updated the “Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment”. The standard applies to most workplaces where the indoor temperature reaches 82°F.

• Michigan - The Michigan Supreme Court reinstated the Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) which mandates that all Michigan employers will be required to provide employees with more generous paid sick leave. Paid sick leave is currently required under Michigan’s current paid sick leave law called The Paid Medical Leave Act, beginning on February 21, 2025.

• Colorado - Effective August 7, 2024, companies that sell or deliver goods or services in Colorado and dispatch its drivers through a digital platform have new responsibilities for disclosure, and transparency. Fines are per-occurrence. Full implementation will happen in January 2025.

• Colorado - Hair length has been added to the CROWN Act as a protected characteristic.

• Colorado - Biometric data and identifiers are protected per HB24-1130. The implementation of this law. Employers must obtain consent before using biometric information in advance. Full implementation is July 2025.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• Chicago, Illinois - Effective July 1, Chicago employees who work at least 80 hours in a 4-month period are entitled to up to 40 hours of paid leave and 40 hours of sick leave per year. Up to 80 hours of sick leave can be carried over to the next year.

• California - As of July 1 nearly all employers are required to create and maintain a workplace violence prevention plan (WVPP) and train their employees on their WVPP. Per SB 533, companies must conduct an initial assessment of risk factors, implement and maintain WVPP, and conduct annual training.

• Idaho - Employers have new protections from a law that expands immunity from civil damages including claims from policies specifically allowing employees to carry firearms.

• Oregon - Several changes to Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) and Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) are effective as of July 1. OFLA and PLO will no longer run concurrently (they can now run sequentially) and OFLA no longer covers parental leave and serious health conditions.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• Washington - Employers in Washington State are subject to an updated noncompete law that expands protections and limits the scope of non-compete agreements for employees, effective June 6, 2024.

• New York - Effective June 19, 2024, all private employers in New York are required to provide 30 minutes of paid break time for employees to express breast milk at work. Employees can use any paid meal time if they need additional time.

Stay in compliance with the latest updates for your company, including state and city-specific policies. Get started by creating a new handbook.

• Federal - In an update to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the US Department of Labor has increased the minimum salary threshold for exempt employees eligible to receive overtime pay. The new minimum salary will be raised to $43,888. This change includes white-collar employees including executive, administrative, and professional workers, and is effective July 1, 2024. The minimum salary will be raised again on January 1, 2025, to $58,565. Court challenges are expected.