To construct your Alabama employee handbook, it is essential to incorporate both state-specific and federal policies. Regardless of whether all of your employees are situated in Alabama or just a few, you will need to provide an Alabama-specific handbook to guarantee that your employees know the policies and rights entitled to them by their state.
Find the required state policies for Alabama, federally required policies, and other optional policies below.
Every handbook should include Federal, State, and (if applicable) City-specific policies. Below are Alabama-specific policies that should be included in your handbook.
There are policies required by federal law in all 50 states, and so they must be included in your handbook no matter what state your employees are based in. Some of the most important policies are outlined here, however, all federal policies should be included in your handbook.
Click on a state to learn more about policies and recommendations.
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if an employee decides to bring a lawsuit against your company, and you don't have the required posters or they are outdated, you could face even more significant problems:
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.
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 Alabama 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.
Alabama Labor Law Poster Requirements
You can refer to the Alabama Department of Labor for free, printable posters.
Let’s build this thing!
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:
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:
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.
Creating an editable handbook
