State of New York Employee Handbook

Disclaimer: The content provided below is for informational purposes only and does not substitute legal advice.

Last updated April, 2026

New York employee handbook overview

It’s essential to include both state-specific and federal policies when creating an employee handbook for New York. Regardless of the number of employees in New York, it’s necessary to provide a New York-specific handbook to ensure that employees are aware of their state-given rights and policies.

What should be included in a New York employee handbook?

New York Employee Handbook Overview

Below are the mandatory state policies for New York, federally required policies, and other optional policies to consider incorporating into your handbook.

What should be included in a New York Employee Handbook?

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

New York Equal Pay Policy: Employers may not pay employees less based on sex, race, or other protected characteristics for substantially similar work performed under similar conditions. Employers may not prohibit employees from discussing wages or retaliate against employees who do so.
New York Sick Leave Policy : Employers are required to provide employees with sick leave. For many companies, this leave is on a paid basis.
New York Whistleblower Policy: Employers may not retaliate against employees who report or threaten to report illegal activity, or who refuse to participate in activity that violates the law. Protections apply to all employers regardless of size.
New York Prenatal Leave Policy: Effective January 1, 2025, employers are required to provide 20 hours of paid prenatal leave to employees for health care services received by an employee during their pregnancy or related to such pregnancy, including physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring and testing, and discussions with a health care provider related to the pregnancy.
New York Military Leave Policy: Employers must grant leave to employees called to military service and reinstate them upon return with the same seniority, status, and pay. Public employees receive paid military leave.
New York Final Paycheck Policy: Employers are required to provide the employee with their final paycheck in accordance with the timeline of when they would receive it had they remained employed.
New York Meal and Rest Breaks Policy: Employers must provide a 30-minute meal break for shifts over six hours that extend over the noon meal period, and additional breaks for shifts starting before 11am and continuing past 7pm.
New York Workers' Compensation Policy: Employers must carry workers' compensation insurance for all employees. Failure to provide coverage is a criminal offense.
New York Jury Duty Policy: Rules regarding Jury Duty summons must be included.
New York Lactation Accommodation Policy: Reasonable accommodations are required to be provided for nursing mothers.
New York Crime Victim Leave Policy: Employers are required to provide unpaid leave to employees that are crime victims or representatives of a crime victim.
New York Domestic Violence Leave Policy: Employers are required to provide leave for employees who are victims of domestic violence.
New York Emergency Response Leave Policy: Employers are required to provide leave for employees serving as volunteer firefighter or member of a volunteer ambulance service in response to an emergency.
New York Human Rights Law: Employers are prohibited from discriminating against employees based on protected characteristics.
New York Voting Leave Policy: Employers are required to provide employees with paid leave for voting.
New York Blood Donation Leave Policy: Employers are required to provide employees with paid or unpaid leave to donate blood.
New York Bone Marrow Donation Leave Policy: Employers are required to provide employees with unpaid leave to donate bone marrow.
New York Paid Family Leave Policy: Employers are required to provide employees with paid leave to care for family members when family entitlements and obligations arise.
New York Business Expense Reimbursement: Employers must provide reimbursement for reasonable, pre-approved business expenses .
New York Wage Transparency Policy: Employers with four or more employees must include a compensation range in all job postings, including promotions and transfer opportunities.

City-specific policies that should be included in your New York Employee Handbook

Some states have cities or counties that require specific policies to be included for employees that are based there.

New York City Specific Policies:

New York City Temporary Schedule Change Policy: Rules regarding temporary work schedule changes for personal events must be provided.
New York City Supplemental Gender Discrimination: Employers are prohibited from discriminating against employees based on their gender.
New York City Lactation Accommodation Policy: Employers are required to provide time and a private space for nursing mothers to express breast milk.
New York City Pregnancy Accommodation Policy: Employers are prohibited from discriminating against employees based on pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, and must provide reasonable accommodations for the employee’s needs.
New York City Human Rights Law: Employers are prohibited from discriminating against employees based on protected characteristics.
New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act: Employers must provide safe and sick time at rates aligned with the state law, with additional safe time protections for domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking victims.
New York City Fair Chance Act (Ban the Box): Employers may not inquire about criminal history until after a conditional offer of employment.

Westchester County Specific Policies:

Westchester County Safe Time Leave Policy: Employers are required to provide paid leave to employees who are victims of domestic violence or human trafficking.

Federal Policies

Don’t forget about the 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 Show me!
Anti-Harassment and Complaint Procedure Show me!
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Policy Show me!
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) & Reasonable Accommodation Policy
Military Service Leave (USERRA)
Wage and Hour Compliance Policy (FSLA)
At-Will Employment Notice Show me!
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

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 New York 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.

New York Labor Law Poster Requirements

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

Download New York labor law posters here

How to create an New York Employee Handbook

An employee handbook isn't just a formality, it's the foundation of a well-run company. But getting it right means more than putting words on paper. Your handbook needs to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, and it needs to stay current as those laws change.

When it comes to building a legally sound, state-specific handbook, most companies face the same tough choice: hire an attorney to draft one from scratch, or try to do it yourself. The first option is expensive and time-consuming. The second is risky, especially if you're relying on generic, one-size-fits-all templates found online.

That's where Handbooks.io comes in.

Handbooks.io is an employee handbook builder trusted by many companies to create polished, fully compliant handbooks, without the legal fees or guesswork. Answer a short survey about your company, and a tailored handbook is generated in no time. It's everything you need to create, maintain, and distribute a professional employee handbook, all in one place. Let’s build this thing!

Get started on building your handbook

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?

New York employee handbook