Your employee handbook sets the tone for your company—and can protect you from liability. Whether you’re hiring in Illinois alone, or in all 50 states, it’s crucial that you are aware of the Illinois employee handbook requirements and ensure it complies with state and federal laws.
“Illinois is a state that is on the cutting edge of employment law—it’s one of only three states that require employers to provide their employees with paid leave that can be used for any reason,” said Connor Christensen, Legal Product Counsel at SixFifty.
“It is also one of two states that has a standalone bereavement leave law. In fact, the state has both the Illinois Family Bereavement Leave Act and the Illinois Child Extended Bereavement Leave Act (or CEBLA),” said Christensen.
Did you know that Illinois employee handbooks have 20 required policies, and nearly 50 optional policies? When you create your Illinois employee handbook, you must ensure that it includes all the mandatory policies, as well as that any additional policies are legally compliant. Plus, each time the law changes, you’ll need to update the affected handbooks accordingly.
That’s a lot of work—and if you’re hiring outside counsel for the task, it can get expensive very quickly. Hiring remotely means you have access to top talent across the country, but it also means you’ll need a state-specific employee handbook for each new state.
Luckily, SixFifty makes it easy to get into compliance, and stay that way. Read on to learn what’s required in your Illinois handbook, and how we can handle the heavy lifting.
Required Federal Employee Handbook Policies
Because federal law is the supreme law of the land, mandatory federal policies are included in every employee handbook, regardless of state. The five mandatory policies protect basic worker rights, from taking leave to sexual harassment and anti-discrimination provisions.
When these laws are changed, it’s incumbent upon you to update all of your employee handbooks with the new information. For instance, if the equal employment policies are updated to include new provisions, you’d need to update handbooks in all 50 states.
Each of the following policies must be included in your employee handbook:
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (15+ Employees)
- Employment and Anti-Discrimination Policy
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Policy (50 Employees)
- Jury Duty Leave
- Military Service Leave
- Sexual Harassment Policy
- Lactation Accommodation Policy
- Religious Accommodations Policy
Required Illinois Employee Handbook Policies
Illinois also requires 18 additional employee handbook policies. Some of these policies overlap with federal policies: states are welcome to elaborate upon federal law and tailor them for local concerns, as long as it doesn’t conflict with federal law.
Note that certain required policies are limited to companies of a certain size, while paid sick leave policies are only for Chicago and Cook County. Which policies apply to your company will depend on its size and location.
Don’t forget these 18 required Illinois employee handbook policies:
- Business Expense Reimbursement
- Bereavement Leave (50 Employees)
- Civil Air Patrol Leave (15 Employees)
- Day of Rest Law (see SixFifty’s Workweek and Work Schedules Policy)
- Domestic Violence Leave (15 Employees)
- Election Judge Leave (25 Employees)
- Emergency Worker Leave
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Jury Duty Leave
- Meal and Rest Breaks
- Military Service Leave
- Paid Leave (Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County)
- Pay Transparency Policy
- Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Childrearing Leave (see SixFifty’s Parental Leave)
- School Visitation Leave (50 Employees)
- Sexual Harassment Policy
- Voting Leave
- Witness Duty Leave
“On top of Illinois getting creative with its employment law, localities like Chicago and Cook County add an extra level of complexity,” said Christensen. “Chicago is the only place in the country that requires employers to provide both paid leave that can be used for any reason and paid sick leave. Chicago also has specific sexual harassment policy requirements so be sure to review that policy if you hire an employee in Chicago.”
Optional Illinois Employee Handbook Policies
In addition to the 18 required policies, there are also 48 optional Illinois state policies to choose from. Many of these policies are broadly applicable to every company, such as payment of wages, overtime and at-will employment policies.
Others may only be applicable depending on your business model. For instance, if you allow remote work, you may wish to add a telecommuting and videoconference policy. Transportation companies may add a policy governing the use of electronic devices while driving. Pick and choose the policies that meet your company’s specific needs.
Choose from these optional Illinois policies:
- Affinity Group Policy
- Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy
- Arbitration Policy
- At-Will Employment Policy
- Background Check Policy
- COBRA Policy
- Cell Phone Policy
- Code of Conduct Policy
- Company Property Policy
- Confidentiality and Trade Secrets Policy
- Crime Victim Leave
- Desk Hoteling Policy
- Direct Deposit Policy
- Dress Code Policy
- Drug and Alcohol Abuse Policy
- Electronic Devices While Driving Policy
- Employee Benefits Policy
- Employee Classification Policy
- Employee Dating Policy
- Employee References Policy
- Employment of Relatives Policy
- Exit Interview Policy
- Gifts Policy
- Health and Safety Policy
- Home Office Reimbursement Policy
- Job Duties Policy
- Key or Access Card Policy
- Holidays
- Immigration Law Compliance
- Cannabis Policy
- Off-Duty Use of Facilities
- Outside Employment Policy
- Overtime Policy
- Paid Time Off
- Payment of Wages Policy
- Payroll Deductions Policy
- Performance Review Policy
- Personnel Files Policy
- Pets in the Workplace Policy
- Progressive Discipline Policy
- Public Relations Policy
- Punctuality and Attendance Policy
- Record Retention Policy
- Remote Working Policy
- Salary Pay Policy
- Smoking Policy
- Social Media Policy
- Solicitation and Distribution of Literature Policy
- Technology Systems Policy
- Temporary Relocation Policy
- Timekeeping Policy
- Video Conferencing Policy
- Weapons in the Workplace
- Workers’ Compensation Policy
- Workplace Violence Policy
- Workplace Visitor Policy
SixFifty Helps Employers Meet Illinois Employee Handbook Requirements
Creating, researching and updating your employee handbooks is time-consuming—but failing to do so exposes your business to liability. Every time state and federal law changes, you should update your employee handbook. Instead of burdening your in-house legal team or hiring outside counsel, SixFifty has the solution.
With SixFifty’s employee handbook generation platform, we’ve paired the convenience of automation with real legal expertise, so creating and updating state-specific employee handbooks is easier than ever. Simply answer a few questions about your company, download the generated files and have your lawyer review and approve. Plus, we update our products monthly, so staying compliant is a snap.
Questions? Want to see how it works? Schedule a free demo with SixFifty today! Looking to create an employee handbook for a different state? View our interactive map for required employee handbook policies by state.
