If there’s ever a time to rethink your handbook, it’s now. The timeliness has less to do with the 2025 year — the obvious time to roll out a replacement handbook — and more to do with the wave of changes that recently swept the workplace.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) now has submitted their new Employee Handbook changes that can make Employee Handbooks legally unlawful. The NLRB has the authority to monitor and make changes to employee handbooks for union and non-union workplaces. The NLRB mandates that employee handbook policies do not prevent employees from discussing with their colleagues issues about workplace issues like pay, benefits, safety issues, speaking negatively about the company or supervisors. This legal protection is called “Concerted Activity from Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
Federal, State and Local regulations are in place and regulatory agencies are revving up audit focus for 2025 and beyond. Many state regulations and multi-state regulations are impacting which laws supersede federal regulations.
Workers’ new expectations may clash with employers’ old policies. Policies that ban flexibility, certain policies as per the National Labor Relations Board and concerted activity may feel frustratingly out of date.
And yet, many organizations punt on handbook refreshes. I think a lot of companies don’t update their employee handbooks as often as they should.
With the shift to hybrid work/Remote work, organizations must set clear expectations around communication, and performance. Managers and associates both play a significant role in making [hybrid work] successful within their teams, and HR teams have an opportunity to provide tools and guidelines to make it even easier.
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Why You Should Attend?
Federal regulations are not the only changes that are expected. We have learned that State regulations have superseded the Federal regulations because the regulation with the most benefit for the employee supersedes them. Many states have several changes that impact employees in state-specific and multi-state locations. When you add remote workers, there are many changes that have to be in place where compliance is key.
Who Should Attend?