When employing individuals who live and work in West Virginia, it is crucial that your employee handbook complies with both federal and West Virginia employee handbook requirements. While employers are not obligated to draft and distribute their own handbooks, doing so offers several advantages. Employers are required to implement and comply with a variety of policies in the workplace, and handbooks outline policies and procedures while they also serve as an introduction to the company, provide vital information on expectations, and reduce potential legal liability.
However, if your West Virginia employee handbook policies do not align with state or federal law, your company may face significant risks. Crafting state-specific employee handbooks can be a time-consuming and costly undertaking, especially when hiring in multiple states.
Thankfully, SixFifty’s Employment Docs platform provides valuable support to employers, simplifying state and federal compliance to make the process more efficient and cost-effective.
Here’s what you need to know about creating your own West Virginia employee handbooks.
Required West Virginia employee handbook policies
West Virginia requires employers to implement and comply with seven state-specific policies:
- Civil Air Patrol (16 Employees)
- Emergency Personnel and Civil Air Patrol Leave
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Jury Duty Leave
- Meal and Rest Breaks
- Public Officials Leave
- Voting Leave
These policies should be included in all West Virginia employee handbooks, regardless of company, industry, or other factors.
Optional West Virginia employee handbook policies
In addition to the seven required state policies, employers can choose to include optional policies like these:
- 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
- Business Expense 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
- Home Office Reimbursement Policy
- Job Duties Policy
- Key or Access Card Policy
- Holidays
- Immigration Law Compliance
- Leave Policies, including: Paid Sick Leave; Parental Leave; Bereavement Leave; Organ, Bone Marrow, and Blood Donor Leave; Domestic Violence Leave; Crime Victim Leave; Witness Duty Leave; School Activity Leave
- Cannabis Policy
- Off-Duty Use of Facilities
- 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
- 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
- Vacation/Paid Time Off
- Video Conferencing Policy
- Weapons in the Workplace
- Workers’ Compensation Policy
- Workplace Violence Policy
- Workplace Visitor Policy
- Workweek and Work Schedules Policy
Depending on your industry, company and employment type, company size and other relevant factors, you likely will not want to include all of the optional policies.
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) (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
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 West Virginia employee handbook
Crafting your own West Virginia employee handbook can present challenges. Developing state-specific handbooks requires thorough research and drafting to ensure compliance with state and federal employment laws. Failure to align your handbook with the law may expose your organization to legal risk.
Some employers opt for the safer option of hiring an attorney to draft their employee handbooks. However, if you’re hiring in multiple states, billable hours can accumulate quickly. Alternatively, some employers might consider using online templates, but this approach can be risky. There’s no assurance that one-size-fits-all employee handbook templates will cover all the required state policies or use appropriate language.
At SixFifty, we understand the challenges associated with drafting employee handbooks. Our employee handbook creator ensures that your company is compliant with all federal, state, and local laws. It’s easier than ever to create and update handbooks as needed. It’s designed to support employers through every stage of the employment life cycle, starting from offer letters and continuing through termination and offboarding.
Creating top-tier West Virginia employee handbooks that meet all requirements has never been easier. Best of all, our legal team closely monitors any developments in employment law nationwide. Should any changes arise, we’ll promptly notify you, so you can regenerate your documents accordingly.
Ready to learn more? Schedule a demo today!
Looking to create an employee handbook for a different state? View our interactive map for required employee handbook policies by state.
