employee-handbook

name	employee-handbook
title	Employee Handbook and Acknowledgement
description	Drafts a U.S. employee handbook and acknowledgement form preserving at-will status. Covers required workplace policies, leave and wage-hour rules, conduct standards, anti-harassment, accommodations, and compliance notices. Use when drafting or updating employee handbooks, creating acknowledgement forms, onboarding policy packages, or rolling out HR policies. Trigger on: employee handbook, acknowledgement form, at-will disclaimer, workplace policies, onboarding, HR policies.
author	CaseMark
author_url	https://github.com/CaseMark/skills/tree/main/skills/legal/employee-handbook
license	Apache-2.0
version	0.1.0
execution_mode	open
jurisdiction	us
practice	employment
language	en

Employee Handbook and Acknowledgement

Produces a compliant, non-contractual handbook plus a standalone acknowledgement form that preserves at-will status.

Prerequisites

Gather before drafting:

1. Company profile — entity name, locations, industry, size, exempt/non-exempt mix
2. Jurisdictions — all states and localities where employees work
3. Existing policies — prior handbooks, offer letters, CBAs
4. Leave programs — PTO, sick, parental, bereavement, jury, military
5. Pay practices — pay periods, timekeeping, overtime, expense reimbursement
6. IT/security — acceptable use, monitoring, BYOD rules
7. Safety — OSHA program, incident reporting, workplace violence
8. Complaint process — reporting channels, investigation owner, anti-retaliation
9. Benefits summary — health/retirement eligibility, plan references
10. Languages — required translations or ADA-accessible formats

Quick Start

1. Collect prerequisites above
2. Draft handbook sections in the build order below
3. Insert required disclaimers verbatim
4. Add jurisdiction addenda for each state/locality
5. Generate acknowledgement form
6. Deliver two files: Handbook + Acknowledgement Form with version/date footers

Handbook Build Order

Section	Key Elements
Cover + TOC	Company name, effective date, revision date, version control
Introduction	Welcome, purpose, scope — no contractual language
At-Will + No Contract	At-will disclaimer, modification clause (repeat in acknowledgement)
Equal Opportunity	Federal protected classes + state/local additions
Anti-Harassment	Definitions, examples, multiple reporting paths, investigation, non-retaliation
Accommodations	Disability and religious accommodation process with contact point
Wage/Hour	FLSA compliance, timekeeping, overtime, meal/rest breaks per state
Leave	FMLA (if covered), state/local paid sick, PTO rules, eligibility, request steps