2025 Updated Version

Iowa employee handbook

Table of Contents

Iowa-specific policies to include

Federal handbook policies

Additional content and policies to include

Iowa labor law posters

Iowa handbook policies

Iowa employee handbook overview

Building your Iowa employee handbook requires including both state-specific and federal policies. Whether all of your employees work in Iowa or just a few, you need to provide an Iowa-specific handbook for your employees to understand their state's policies and rights.

You can find the necessary state policies for Iowa, federally required policies, and other optional policies below.

What should be included in a Iowa employee handbook?

Every handbook should include Federal, State, and (if applicable) City-specific policies. Below are Iowa-specific policies that should be included in your handbook.

Iowa Personnel Records Policy: Employers are required to provide rules regarding accessing and copying personnel records.

Iowa Emergency Responder Leave Policy: Employers are required to provide unpaid leave for employees who are volunteer firefighters or emergency service personnel in response to an emergency.

Iowa Crime Victim Leave Policy: Employers may not discriminate against, and must provide leave for, employees who must attend a criminal proceeding.

Iowa Pregnancy Leave Policy: Employers are required to provide qualified employees with leave for pregnancy or a related medical condition.

Iowa Expense Reimbursement Policy: Employers are required to make sure all expenses, either authorized by the company or incurred by the employee, are paid.

Iowa Voting Leave Policy: Employers are required to provide employees with paid leave to vote. The employee must request the time in advance of the election.

Create your Iowa employee handbook now

Federal Policies

Don’t forget about federal policies

There are policies that should be included in every handbook to comply with US labor and employment law. Many states require additional provisions. However, this list includes core federal requirements and best practices applicable to most businesses.

Core federal policies

Equal Employment Opportunity and Anti-Discrimination Policy
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Anti-Harassment and Complaint Procedure
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Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Policy
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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) & Reasonable Accommodation Policy
Military Service Leave (USERRA)
Wage and Hour Compliance Policy (FSLA)
At-Will Employment Notice
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Polices if you employ federal contractors (Pay Transparency Policy, Whistleblower Protection, Drug-free Workplace Policy)

Highly recommended policies

Workplace Violence Prevention Policy
Code of Conduct Policy
Nursing Parents Policy
Conflict of Interest and Business Ethics
Disciplinary Procedures
Use of Company Property
Employee Classification and Pay Practices
Health and Safety Policy
Confidential Company Information
Open Door Policy
Receipt of Non-Harassment Policy
Use of Communication and Computer Systems
Workplace Searches and Inspections

Additional policies to include

Industry-specific policies
Sick Leave, Vacation Leave, PTO policy
Company Vehicles Policy
Punctuality and Attendance
Benefits
Working Schedule
Employment Records
Smoking
Overtime
Performance Reviews
Social Media Policy
Remote Work Policy
Introductory Period Policy
References
Hiring Relatives and Significant Others
Business Expense Reimbursement

Get all recommended policies from the free handbook builder.

Poster Requirements

Iowa labor law posters

Understanding labor law poster requirements can be a bit like trying to decode a complex puzzle. You need to comply with both state and federal requirements.

Why Should I Care About Displaying Posters?

You might be wondering why it's so important to display these posters in the first place. State and Federal laws mandate that employers must have up-to-date labor law posters conspicuously displayed for their employees. Failing to do so not only results in steep fines (up to $35,000 in federal fines and additional state fines) but also exposes you to real liability.

Consider this scenario: if an employee decides to bring a lawsuit against your company, and you don't have the required posters or they are outdated, you could face even more significant problems:

Statute of Limitations: Normally, there's a limited window within which an employee can file a lawsuit against you. However, if you didn't inform your employees of their rights through proper poster display, a court might decide that the statute of limitations doesn't apply.

Operating in Bad Faith: Courts may determine that you were intentionally withholding information from your employees, which could lead to a finding that you were operating in bad faith. This can substantially increase your liability.

What Are the Requirements for Displaying Labor Law Posters?

Labor law posters must be displayed at every physical location where you have employees, and they need to be conspicuously displayed for all to see.

If you have a hybrid workplace with both in-person and remote employees, you'll need physical posters at your facilities and electronic distribution to your off-site workers.
For fully remote companies, you can distribute posters electronically by sharing a permanent link to the appropriate posters.
Some posters also need to be visible to job applicants, such as FMLA, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Employee Polygraph Protection posters, as per the guidance provided by the Department of Labor.

What Labor Law Posters Do I Need to Display?

You'll need both Federal and State labor law posters for each state where you have employees. The good news is that all the posters you need are provided for free by the federal government and state departments of labor. You've probably seen those convenient "all-in-one" laminated posters, but if you prefer, everything you need is also available as a free, printable document from the Iowa Department of Labor.

Federal Poster Requirements

Determining which federal posters you're required to display can be influenced by various factors, including your industry, the size of your company, benefits you provide and union affiliation.

The good news is that there's a handy tool to help you understand precisely which federal posters your company needs. You can use the Federal Poster Advisor tool to determine your specific federal poster requirements.

Iowa Labor Law Poster Requirements

You can refer to the Iowa Department of Labor for free, printable posters.

Download Iowa labor law posters here

Let’s build this thing!

What’s included with the handbook builder

Creating a new handbook only takes a few minutes. And it’s easy. You can get started by answering a few interactive questions about your company. A few examples:

How many employees do you have?
Do you have employees in multiple states?
Do you have an introductory period for new employees?
Do you offer paid holidays?
What is your payroll schedule?

Create your Iowa handbook

Company culture

Communicating your company culture

In all businesses, building a strong company culture can be essential to boosting morale and aligning employees. Arguably, it is even more key for small businesses. With a small team, the impact of a strong culture is made more apparent. Here are some important things to remember when building a strong company culture.

Evaluate Your Current Culture

Since company culture is primarily determined at the top, here are some key questions to ask your leadership team to evaluate where your culture currently stands:

Are we open about how things work at our company?
Do our employees know what is expected of them?
Do we value our employee’s feedback?
How do we demonstrate that our employees are valued?
What are our company values?
Do we clearly express these values?

Set Your Goals

From your answers to the previous questions, pinpoint what is lacking and make goals to improve on those areas. This could mean having clearer communication for employee expectations, defining company values, or creating monthly team-building activities to build morale.

Respecting Employee’s Work-Life Balance

A large part of communicating that your company values its employees is demonstrating respect for their lives outside of work. A strong employee handbook can allow this to be done in a clear, effective way. Company leaders should detail expectations, but also be open about their own work-life balance to build transparency. Trust is key in a great company, and when leaders show genuine empathy for employee responsibilities at home, a foundation for transparency and cooperation is built.

The Link Between Culture and Happiness

Many surveys and analyses of employee feedback indicate that the majority of employees care as much about the culture of the company they work for as their salary. In small companies, culture is frequently undervalued. In order to reduce turnovers and increase recruitment, companies need to understand that there is a link between strong culture and the one important question employees think about regularly: “Am I happy working here?”.

Understanding and Communicating Your Company’s Culture

In order to effectively communicate your company’s culture, you need to understand it. By asking your team the right questions, setting goals, and valuing employees, you can be sure to be on the right track.

Communicating this culture is an essential next step toward aligning with your employees. Not every culture is a good fit for every employee, and being honest upfront is important for making sure you are hiring employees best aligned not only with the skills a company requires, but the culture of the workplace. Research shows that when looking for a job, 77% of people polled would consider a company’s culture and work atmosphere before applying. By clearly communicating your company culture up front, you can ensure that more candidates who align with your team values will apply for a position.