Employee Handbook

EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK

State of Alabama

[COMPANY LEGAL NAME]

Effective Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Handbook Status and Employment Policies
2. Equal Employment, Accommodation, and Pay Equity
3. Classification and Work Authorization
4. Wage, Hour, Break, and Child-Labor Policies
5. Leave and Protected Time Off
6. Safety, Workers' Compensation, and Testing
7. Records, Privacy, and Protected Activity
8. Conduct, Attendance, and Corrective Action
9. Separation of Employment
10. Administration and Acknowledgment

1. HANDBOOK STATUS AND EMPLOYMENT POLICIES

1.1 Purpose and Scope

This Handbook states the general policies of [Company Legal Name] (“Company”) for Employees working in or regularly reporting to an Alabama worksite. It should be completed for the Company's workforce, benefits, worksites, and industry before distribution.

1.2 Not a Contract; At-Will Employment

This Handbook is not an employment contract or a promise of employment for a fixed term. Unless a written agreement, collective bargaining agreement, or applicable law provides otherwise, employment is at will. Only [AUTHORIZED TITLE] may approve a written agreement changing at-will status.

1.3 Reporting Channels and Anti-Retaliation

An Employee may report a concern orally or in writing to [SUPERVISOR], [HR CONTACT], or [ALTERNATE/ETHICS CONTACT], and may bypass anyone involved in the concern. The Company will respond promptly and impartially and prohibits retaliation for good-faith reports, accommodation requests, wage concerns, protected leave, participation in an investigation, or other legally protected activity.

1.4 Definitions

“Employee” means an individual employed by the Company, whether full-time, part-time, temporary, or seasonal.

“Protected Class” means a status protected by applicable Alabama or federal law. Federal coverage rules vary by statute. Alabama law separately protects covered workers age forty and older under Ala. Code § 25-1-21.

“Workweek” means the seven-day period beginning at [DAY/TIME] and ending at [DAY/TIME] for payroll and overtime purposes.

2. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT, ACCOMMODATION, AND PAY EQUITY

2.1 Equal Employment Opportunity

The Company prohibits unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on any Protected Class. Employment decisions will be based on lawful job-related considerations. The Company will provide reasonable accommodations required by applicable disability, pregnancy, and religious-accommodation laws after an appropriate interactive process.

2.2 Alabama Age-Discrimination Protection

The Company will not discriminate against a covered worker age forty or older in hiring, retention, compensation, or another term or condition of employment, consistent with Ala. Code § 25-1-21 and applicable federal law. Human Resources must confirm each law's employer-coverage and remedy rules.

2.3 Equal Pay and Wage History

Consistent with Ala. Code § 25-1-30, the Company will not pay an Employee less than an Employee of another sex or race for equal work within the same establishment requiring equal skill, effort, education, experience, and responsibility under similar working conditions, except for a lawful seniority, merit, production, or other factor not based on sex or race.

The Company will not refuse to interview, hire, promote, or employ an applicant, or retaliate against an applicant, because the applicant does not provide wage history. Compensation records will be retained as required by applicable recordkeeping law.

3. CLASSIFICATION AND WORK AUTHORIZATION

3.1 Worker and Overtime Classification

Human Resources will classify workers based on actual duties and the economic realities of the relationship, not labels alone. Each Employee's exempt or non-exempt status must be documented under current federal law.

Complete before issue:

• Total Employees: [____]
• Employees within seventy-five miles of this worksite: [____]
• FMLA-covered employer: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Review required
• Workers' compensation coverage required or elected: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Review required

3.2 Employment-Eligibility Verification

The Company will complete Form I-9 and the employment-eligibility verification process required by current federal law and Ala. Code § 31-13-15. Human Resources will use the current Alabama-approved process, avoid unlawful document demands or citizenship-status discrimination, and retain verification records for the required period.

4. WAGE, HOUR, BREAK, AND CHILD-LABOR POLICIES

4.1 Minimum Wage and Overtime

Alabama has no state minimum-wage law. Employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act will receive at least the current federal minimum wage, $7.25 per hour as of July 28, 2026, subject to lawful tip-credit, youth-wage, and other rules. Covered non-exempt Employees will receive one and one-half times the regular rate for hours worked over forty in a Workweek.

4.2 Timekeeping and Off-the-Clock Work

Non-exempt Employees must accurately record all working time, including authorized or unauthorized work before or after a shift, remote work, compensable travel, training, and interrupted unpaid meal periods. Working off the clock is prohibited, but all time actually worked must still be reported and paid.

4.3 Paydays and Deductions

The regular pay period is [____], with payday on [____]. The Company will provide wage statements and make deductions required by law or supported by a valid authorization. A payroll-reporting delay does not waive an Employee's wage rights.

4.4 Adult Meal and Rest Periods

Alabama law does not require meal or rest periods for Employees age sixteen or older. The Company's adult break policy is:

• Paid rest period: [____ minutes / frequency / not offered]
• Unpaid duty-free meal period: [____ minutes after ____ hours / not offered]

If an unpaid meal period is interrupted by work, the Employee must record the time.

4.5 Employees Under Nineteen

Before employing a minor, Human Resources must apply the current Alabama and federal age, hour, occupation, certificate, posting, and recordkeeping rules. Under Ala. Code § 25-8-38 and the current Alabama Department of Labor poster, an Employee age fourteen or fifteen who works more than five hours continuously must receive a documented thirty-minute break. The Company will maintain required Employee Information Forms, proof of age, daily starting and ending times, and break records, and will display the required child-labor certificate and poster.

5. LEAVE AND PROTECTED TIME OFF

5.1 Federal Family and Medical Leave

Eligible Employees of a covered employer may take up to twelve workweeks of job-protected FMLA leave for qualifying family, medical, and military-exigency reasons, and up to twenty-six workweeks in a single twelve-month period for qualifying military-caregiver leave. Private-employer coverage generally requires fifty Employees in twenty workweeks; Employee eligibility generally requires twelve months of employment, 1,250 hours of service in the preceding twelve months, and fifty Employees within seventy-five miles. A separate FMLA policy and required notices control administration.

5.2 Jury Service

An Employee who receives a jury summons must show it to the Employee's immediate supervisor on the next day the Employee works. The Company will excuse the Employee for required jury service and will not require or request use of annual, vacation, unpaid, or sick leave for time responding to the summons, participating in selection, or serving. A full-time Employee will receive the Employee's usual compensation as required by Ala. Code § 12-16-8.

The Company will not discharge or take adverse action against an Employee solely for jury service when the Employee reports for work at the next regularly scheduled hour after dismissal from the jury, as provided in Ala. Code § 12-16-8.1.

5.3 Voting

Upon reasonable notice, an eligible Employee may take the necessary time, not exceeding one hour, to vote in a qualifying municipal, county, state, or federal primary or election. Leave is unavailable when the Employee's work begins at least two hours after polls open or ends at least one hour before polls close. The Company may specify the time of the absence. Pay status is [PAID / UNPAID AS REVIEWED]. See Ala. Code § 17-1-5.

5.4 Crime-Victim Witness Protection

The Company will not cause loss of employment, or intimidate or threaten loss of employment, because a qualifying crime victim responds to a subpoena to testify in a criminal proceeding or participates in reasonable preparation for the proceeding. Ala. Code § 15-23-81 does not itself specify paid leave; Company pay or PTO use is [____].

5.5 Military Service

The Company will provide leave, nondiscrimination, benefit, and reemployment rights required by USERRA. Employees should provide advance notice when practicable and contact [HR CONTACT] for benefit-continuation and return-to-work procedures.

5.6 Company Leave

6. SAFETY, WORKERS' COMPENSATION, AND TESTING

6.1 Workplace Safety

The Company will comply with applicable federal occupational-safety requirements. Employees must follow safety rules, use required protective equipment, and promptly report hazards, injuries, and illnesses to [CONTACT] without fear of unlawful retaliation.

6.2 Workers' Compensation

The Company will maintain workers' compensation insurance or authorized self-insurance when required under Ala. Code § 25-5-50 or when coverage is elected. Work-related injuries or illnesses must be reported immediately to [CONTACT]. The Company will not terminate an Employee solely because the Employee instituted or maintained an action to recover workers' compensation benefits, consistent with Ala. Code § 25-5-11.1.

6.3 Drug and Alcohol Policy

Working while impaired and unlawfully possessing, using, or distributing controlled substances at work are prohibited. Any testing will occur only under a separate written policy reviewed for current Alabama and federal law. Participation in Alabama's voluntary drug-free-workplace program requires a separately verified program; this Handbook does not create one.

7. RECORDS, PRIVACY, AND PROTECTED ACTIVITY

7.1 Company Systems

Company systems and equipment are provided for business use. To the extent permitted by law, the Company may access, preserve, and review information on Company systems for legitimate business, security, legal, and compliance purposes. This policy does not authorize access prohibited by law.

7.2 Confidentiality and Lawful Disclosures

Employees must protect legitimate confidential and trade-secret information learned through work. This policy does not prohibit an Employee from reporting suspected unlawful conduct to a government agency or attorney, cooperating in an investigation, discussing wages or working conditions, or engaging in activity protected by whistleblower laws or the National Labor Relations Act.

7.3 Social Media

Employees may not disclose protected Company, customer, or coworker information or falsely imply Company sponsorship. This policy will not be applied to lawful off-duty activity, protected concerted activity, or another legally protected communication.

8. CONDUCT, ATTENDANCE, AND CORRECTIVE ACTION

8.1 Expected Conduct

Employees must perform assigned duties safely and honestly; comply with lawful policies; accurately record time and business records; protect Company, customer, and coworker property; avoid unlawful harassment, threats, or violence; and disclose actual conflicts of interest to [HR/COMPLIANCE].

8.2 Attendance and Call-In

Employees unable to report as scheduled must notify [CONTACT] by [METHOD] at least [____] before the shift when practicable. This policy will be administered consistently with accommodation, FMLA, jury, voting, military, crime-victim, workers' compensation, and other protected-absence laws.

8.3 Corrective Action

The Company may use coaching, verbal warning, written warning, final warning, suspension, or termination. It may select or skip steps based on the circumstances. This policy does not alter at-will employment or authorize action for a protected reason.

9. SEPARATION OF EMPLOYMENT

9.1 Notice and Return of Property

Employees are requested, but not legally required unless a separate agreement applies, to provide [____] days' resignation notice. At separation, Employees must return Company property and records. Earned wages will not be withheld as leverage for a disputed debt or unreturned property.

9.2 Final Pay and Benefits

Final earned wages will be paid on [the next regular payday / earlier date required by applicable law]. Accrued vacation, severance, commissions, bonuses, and benefit continuation will be handled under the governing written plan, policy, agreement, and applicable law.

10. ADMINISTRATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

10.1 Policy Administration

The Company may prospectively revise policies in writing, subject to applicable law, earned benefits, contracts, and collective bargaining agreements. If a policy conflicts with controlling law, the law controls and the policy will be administered as closely as possible to its lawful purpose.

10.2 No Mandatory Internal Exhaustion

Employees are encouraged to use internal reporting channels, but nothing in this Handbook requires an Employee to waive or delay a right to contact a government agency, file a charge, report a crime, seek emergency assistance, consult counsel, or pursue another protected remedy.

10.3 Separate Agreements

Any arbitration, restrictive-covenant, invention-assignment, confidentiality, commission, bonus, or employment agreement must be separately drafted and reviewed for current Alabama and federal law. This Handbook itself does not impose arbitration, a jury waiver, employee indemnity, a damages cap, attorney-fee shifting, or an exclusive court forum.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT

I, [EMPLOYEE NAME], acknowledge that I received the [Company Legal Name] Employee Handbook effective [MM/DD/YYYY] and understand that I am expected to follow its lawful policies. I understand that this acknowledgment and the Handbook are not employment contracts and do not alter at-will employment.

Sources and References

• Alabama Legislature — Ala. Code § 25-1-21
• Alabama Legislature — Ala. Code § 25-1-30
• Alabama Legislature — Ala. Code § 12-16-8
• Alabama Legislature — Ala. Code § 12-16-8.1
• Alabama Legislature — Ala. Code § 17-1-5
• Alabama Legislature — Ala. Code § 15-23-81
• Alabama Legislature — Ala. Code § 25-8-38
• Alabama Legislature — Ala. Code § 25-5-11.1
• Alabama Legislature — Ala. Code § 25-5-50
• Alabama Legislature — Ala. Code § 31-13-15
• Alabama Department of Labor — Child Labor Law Poster
• Alabama Department of Labor — Workers' Compensation Claim Handling Manual
• Alabama E-Verify
• U.S. DOL — State Minimum Wage Laws
• U.S. DOL — FMLA Fact Sheet #28
• U.S. DOL — USERRA Rights
• U.S. EEOC — Equal Employment Opportunity Laws
• NLRB — Employee Rights

END OF DOCUMENT