With an ongoing barrage of state and federal employment and labor relations policies that change frequently, employee handbooks can get stale very quickly. Has it been a while since you last took a look at the language in your employee handbook? If so, here are a few key areas that you’ll want to take a closer look at in 2024:
1. Paid Leave: Leave of Absence (LOA) and Paid Time Off (PTO) policies need to be evaluated regularly at the state level based on the location of your employee population to ensure your compliance with appropriate state and federal laws. If your LOA and PTO policies haven’t been evaluated in a while, it’s smart to revisit this area.
2. Joint Employer Status: The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently ruled on what conditions determine a joint-employer relationship. If you have contractors or third parties working with your company, you’ll want to ensure your handbook doesn’t inadvertently create a joint-employer relationship with these individuals; doing so can put your company at risk for added liability.
3. Work From Home (WFH) Policies: Many employers created messy and inconsistent WFH policies out of necessity during the pandemic, and in 2024, those policies may no longer be working. Your leaders are probably already talking about what’s working and what’s not—now is a great time to update policies to make them work for your business and reflect your culture.
4. Policy Scalability: As your business grows, you need policies that grow with you. Small businesses usually have more leeway when it comes to policies and compliance requirements, but if you employ more than 50 people, you’re on the hook for more substantial labor and employment law compliance related to benefits, leave of absence, and much more—both at the state and federal level. At the state level, thresholds for additional compliance can vary greatly, so it is best to review requirements for both regularly.
5. Company & Industry-Specific Policies: Each year brings new challenges in the workplace, and this means policies can quickly become outdated or ineffective. It’s important to frequently reevaluate how you want to handle common issues specific to your company to ensure you’re demonstrating clear messaging and fair and consistent treatment of employees.
6. Technology/Data Security: With the rapid change of technology and increasing access to AI tools, there is a lot for businesses to consider. Rewards of AI include increases in efficiency and access to information, but the risk is evaluating that information correctly and employing it appropriately all while keeping information secure in a world where scams and hacking are rampant. If you haven’t taken an updated look at your policies on technology and data security, this is a critical area of opportunity for 2024.
Our team of HR consultants are experts at creating customized handbooks that help you minimize risk to your company, communicate clearly and fairly with employees, address key compliance issues—and we do it in a way that reflects the culture and spirit of your organization.
If employee handbooks just aren’t for you, consider creating a few “Essential Employment Policies” to guide your business in the areas you need most. And if policies and compliance make you cringe, don’t worry—because we love it, and we’ve got you covered! If you’d like help reviewing your handbook, or issuing a new one, reach out to us at [email protected] and let’s explore!
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