Employee Handbook Supplement
(CA)

Summary

This template is an employee handbook supplement for California employers. It contains customized workplace policies based on California state and local laws. This supplement is not a complete employee handbook (also called an employee manual), but rather can be used to supplement the non-jurisdictional Employee Handbook. This template includes practical guidance, drafting notes, and alternate and optional clauses. This template is intended for private employers. For a non-jurisdictional employee handbook, see Employee Handbook. For an employee handbook supplement for New York employers containing customized workplace policies based on New York state and local laws, see Employee Handbook Supplement (NY). To the extent there is overlap between a policy found in the Employee Handbook and this supplement, you should use the policy in this supplement given its customization for California. This Employee Handbook Supplement (CA) organizes policies alphabetically within six categories: (1) Equal Employment Opportunity Policies, (2) Pay and Benefits Policies, (3) Attendance, Leaves, and Breaks Policies, (4) Standards of Conduct Policies, (5) Safety and Health Policies, and (6) Company Property and Electronic Information Policies. Note Regarding Navigation of this Document: You can jump to one of the six categories by using the navigational Table of Contents on the left-hand side of this document. Note Regarding Employee Signatures and Acknowledgment: Make sure to use an acknowledgment provision for your employee handbook. This provision serves as evidence that the employee was made aware of and understood the employer's policies, and it helps negate any argument that the handbook establishes a binding employment contract. Because it may be difficult to authenticate an e-signature in a subsequent litigation, the employer should obtain a handwritten signature, if possible. However, business realities often mandate that large employers use e-signatures. If this is the case, ensure that the employer takes steps to authenticate each e-signature as belonging to a particular employee. For more information on obtaining e-signatures, see What Every Employer Needs To Know About E-Signatures. For a checklist of policies to include in an employee handbook and policies deemed essential for inclusion in an employee handbook, see Employee Handbook Policies Checklist and Employee Handbook Review Checklist. For a checklist outlining the main issues for private, nonunionized employers to consider when reviewing employee handbooks under federal and California law, see Employee Handbook Review Checklist (CA). For all of Practical Guidance's resources on employee handbooks, see Employee Handbook Resource Kit. For more information on employee handbooks in California, see Employee Handbooks - Work Rules - Employee Conduct: California—XpertHR Employment Law Manual 2209. [>] Video: For a three-minute video on how to use Practical Guidance to revise and draft employee handbooks, see Employee Handbooks: Drafting and Revising Tips on Practical Guidance L&E. For a transcript of the training video, see Employee Handbook Drafting and Revising on Practical Guidance Labor & Employment: How-to Video. For tracking of newly enacted laws affecting employee handbook requirements in California and other key federal, state, and local Labor & Employment legal developments, see Labor & Employment Key Legal Developments Tracker (Current). For a full listing of key content covering employee handbook considerations, see Employee Handbook Resource Kit.