When preparing to hire employees in North Dakota, it’s important to ensure that your employee handbook complies with both federal and North Dakota employee handbook requirements. While the creation and distribution of employee handbooks is not mandatory for employers, implementing and complying with a variety of workplace policies is, and developing personalized handbooks offers certain advantages. Employee handbooks serve as an introduction to your company for new hires, provide essential information about expectations, and outline your policies and procedures to minimize potential legal liability.

Non-compliance with state or federal laws in your North Dakota employee handbook can lead to significant legal consequences. However, the process of researching and writing state-specific employee handbooks can be time-consuming and costly, especially if you plan to expand your workforce to multiple states.

Thankfully, SixFifty’s Employment Docs offers invaluable support to employers, simplifying the process of state and federal compliance. Employment Docs streamlines the process of researching and drafting high-quality, compliant documents, making it faster and more cost-effective.

Here’s what you need to know about creating your own North Dakota employee handbooks.

Required North Dakota employee handbook policies

North Dakota requires employers to implement and comply with nine state-specific policies:

  • Business Expense Reimbursement Policy
  • Day of Rest Law Policy
  • Emergency Response Leave Policy
  • Jury Duty Leave Policy
  • Meal and Rest Breaks Policy
  • Military Service Leave Policy
  • Voting Leave Policy
  • Whistleblower Policy
  • Witness Duty Leave Policy

All of these policies must be included in every state-specific North Dakota employee handbook.

Optional North Dakota employee handbook policies

In addition to the nine required North Dakota employee handbook policies, employers are free to add optional policies like these:

  • Affinity Group Policy
  • Arbitration Policy
  • At-Will Employment Policy
  • Background Check Policy
  • Company Property Policy
  • Confidentiality and Trade Secrets Policy
  • 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
  • Holidays Policy
  • Immigration Law Compliance Policy
  • Lactation Accommodation Policy
  • Leave Policies, including: Paid Sick Leave; Parental Leave; Bereavement Leave; Organ, Bone Marrow, and Blood Donor Leave; Domestic Violence Leave; Crime Victim Leave; School Activity Leave        
  • Marijuana Policy
  • Off-Duty Use of Facilities Policy
  • Outside Employment Policy
  • Overtime Policy
  • 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
  • Salary Pay Policy
  • Social Media Policy
  • Solicitation and Distribution of Literature Policy
  • Technology Systems Policy
  • Telecommuting Policy
  • Temporary Relocation Policy
  • Timekeeping Policy
  • Vacation/Paid Time Off Policy
  • Video Conferencing Policy
  • Workers’ Compensation Policy
  • Workplace Violence Policy
  • Workplace Visitor Policy
  • Workweek and Work Schedules Policy

Employers aren’t obligated to add any of these optional policies. Depending on your company and industry, employment type, and other relevant factors, some of these policies may not be suitable for your organization.

Required federal employee handbook policies

If you choose to create an employee handbook, you should include these policies that are required by federal employment law:

  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy
  • Equal Employment and Anti-Discrimination Policy
  • Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Policy (for companies with more than 50 employees)
  • Jury Duty Leave
  • Military Service Leave
  • Sexual Harassment Policy
  • Lactation Accommodation Policy
  • Religious Accommodation Policy

Employers in all 50 states are required to implement these policies, in addition to any that are required by the specific state(s) in which they have employees. Therefore, all of your employee handbooks should contain these federal policies (if your organization meets the 50-employee requirement for the FMLA Policy). 

How to create a North Dakota employee handbook

Creating your own North Dakota employee handbook demands substantial time and resources. Employers must carefully research state and federal employment laws to avoid potential legal risks resulting from non-compliance.

Some employers choose to hire an attorney to handle research and drafting. However, for those hiring in multiple states, the billable hours can add up quickly. While others turn to online templates, that has its own risks. There is no guarantee that one-size-fits-all employee handbook templates will adequately cover all essential state policies.

Fortunately, SixFifty’s Employment Docs presents a better alternative. Instead of conducting independent research on North Dakota employment law, incurring attorney fees, or relying on generic templates, we offer comprehensive support. Employment Docs empowers you to create personalized, state-specific employee handbooks that fully adhere to North Dakota employee handbook requirements. Throughout the employment life cycle, from crafting offer letters and handbooks to separation agreements and offboarding documents, we provide expert guidance. With Employment Docs, you can be confident in producing top-tier employment documents. Best of all, our legal team stays updated on nationwide changes to employment legislation. Should any new developments arise, we will notify you so you can regenerate your documents as needed.

Ready to learn more? Schedule a demo today!