When hiring employees who reside and work in Kansas, your employee handbook must align with federal and Kansas state employee handbook requirements. While employers aren’t required to have employee handbooks, they are required to implement and comply with a variety of policies in the workplace. Employee handbooks are a good resource because they allow employers to easily document the required policies and show that they have complied with applicable law.
Employee handbooks offer an introduction to the company, act as a resource for employees and managers, set expectations, explain important company policies, and mitigate your legal risk. However, if your Kansas employee handbook fails to comply with state-specific employment laws, you could leave your company open to significant risk.
Thankfully, SixFifty’s employment documents platform offers valuable support to employers, making state and federal compliance easier, faster, and more cost-effective than ever before. Here’s what you need to know about creating your own Kansas employee handbooks.
Required Kansas employee handbook policies
Kansas requires employers to implement and comply with nine state-specific policies:
- Crime Victim Leave
- Domestic Violence Leave
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Jury Duty Leave
- Military Service Leave
- Overtime
- Pregnancy Leave (4 Employees) (see SixFifty’s Parental Leave)
- Volunteer Emergency Service Provider Leave
- Voting Leave
The pregnancy leave policy only applies to companies with four or more employees, which is a relatively low threshold. If you plan to hire more than four employees in the future, it’s best to include the policy now.
Optional Kansas employee handbook policies
In addition to the nine required Kansas employee handbook policies, employees may add optional policies like:
- 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; Bereavement Leave; Organ, Bone Marrow, and Blood Donor Leave; Witness Duty Leave; Civil Service 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
Keep in mind that, depending on your company type, size, employment type and other factors, you may not need or want to include all of the policies above.
Required federal employee handbook policies
All employee handbooks, regardless of state, should include the following federal policies:
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (15+ Employees)
- Employment and Anti-Discrimination Policy
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Policy (50 Employees)
- Military Service Leave
- Sexual Harassment Policy
- Lactation Accommodation Policy
- Religious Accommodations Policy
- Jury Duty Leave
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 Kansas employee handbook
Crafting your own Kansas employee handbook presents a challenge. The process entails researching and drafting each state-specific employee handbook with careful attention to state and federal employment laws. Failing to align your handbook with the law could expose your organization to legal risk.
Some employers opt for hiring an attorney to draft their employee handbooks, which is a legally safe option. However, if you’re hiring in multiple states, billable hours can add up fast. Other employers may be tempted to use online templates, but this choice can be risky. There’s no guarantee that one-size-fits-all employee handbook templates will encompass all the required state policies or appropriate language.
This is why SixFifty has developed an employee handbook creator for employers. Instead of undertaking the research and drafting yourself, engaging a lawyer, or relying on templates, our platform enables you to generate your own customized, state-specific employee handbooks that fully meet Kansas employee handbook requirements. The platform is designed to support employers through every stage of the employment life cycle, from crafting offer letters and employee handbooks to handling separation agreements and offboarding documents. SixFifty’s platform ensures you produce top-tier employment documents—like handbooks that comply with all Kansas employee handbook requirements. Moreover, our legal team monitors changes to employment legislation nationwide. Should any new developments arise, we promptly notify you, allowing you to regenerate your handbooks 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.
