Employee Handbook

EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK

State of Arizona

[COMPANY LEGAL NAME]

Effective Date: [MM/DD/YYYY]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Handbook Status and Employment Policies
2. Equal Employment and Accommodation
3. Wage, Hour, Payday, and Child-Labor Policies
4. Earned Paid Sick Time and Protected Leave
5. Safety, Workers' Compensation, Testing, and Weapons
6. Records, Privacy, and Protected Activity
7. Conduct, Attendance, and Corrective Action
8. Separation of Employment
9. 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 Arizona worksite. It must be completed for the Company's workforce, benefits, locations, and industry before distribution.

1.2 Not a Contract; At-Will Employment

This Handbook is not intended to be an employment contract or a promise of employment for a fixed term. Unless a signed 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. The Company does not intend this Handbook to express contractual intent under A.R.S. § 23-1501.

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, earned-paid-sick-time activity, protected leave, participation in an investigation, workplace-safety activity, or other legally protected conduct.

1.4 Definitions and Coverage Review

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

“Protected Class” means a status protected by applicable Arizona or federal law. The Arizona Civil Rights Act prohibits covered employment discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or specified genetic-test results. Its general employer threshold is fifteen Employees for twenty calendar weeks; the employer definition reaches one or more Employees for specified sexual-harassment claims.

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

Complete before issue:

• Total Employees: [____]
• Employees within seventy-five miles of this worksite: [____]
• Fifteen or more Employees for earned-sick-time cap: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Review required
• Arizona Civil Rights Act general coverage: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Review required
• Crime-victim-leave coverage (generally fifty or more Employees): ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Review required
• FMLA-covered employer: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Review required
• Workers' compensation coverage required or elected: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Review required

2. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT AND ACCOMMODATION

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 Arizona Civil Rights Protections

Consistent with A.R.S. §§ 41-1461 and 41-1463, the Company will not unlawfully discriminate in compensation or another term, condition, or privilege of employment because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, or disability, or based on specified genetic-test results. Arizona's definition of sex includes pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions.

2.3 Complaint and Accommodation Procedure

Employees should report discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or an accommodation need to [HR CONTACT] or [ALTERNATE CONTACT]. Reports will be addressed promptly and as confidentially as reasonably possible. Employees may contact a government agency or pursue another protected remedy without first exhausting this internal process.

3. WAGE, HOUR, PAYDAY, AND CHILD-LABOR POLICIES

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.

3.2 Minimum Wage and Overtime

Employees covered by Arizona's minimum-wage law will receive at least $15.15 per hour as of January 1, 2026, subject to lawful exemptions, local minimum wages, and tip-credit rules. The state rate adjusts annually under A.R.S. § 23-363.

Covered non-exempt Employees will receive one and one-half times their regular rate for hours worked over forty in a Workweek when required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Overtime should be approved in advance, but all time actually worked must be recorded and paid.

3.3 Timekeeping and Breaks

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 a policy violation does not permit the Company to withhold pay for time actually worked.

The Company's break policy is:

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

Short rest periods offered by the Company will be treated as paid time when required. An unpaid meal period must be duty-free; if it is interrupted by work, the Employee must record the time.

3.4 Paydays and Wage Deductions

Unless a statutory exception applies, the Company will designate at least two fixed paydays each month, not more than sixteen days apart, under A.R.S. § 23-351. The regular paydays are [____].

The Company will not withhold or divert wages except as required or empowered by law, under a valid prior written authorization, or where a reasonable good-faith dispute exists as provided in A.R.S. § 23-352.

3.5 Employees Under Eighteen

Before employing a minor, Human Resources must apply the stricter current Arizona or federal age, hour, occupation, solicitation-sales, and recordkeeping rules. The Industrial Commission's current youth-employment guidance and A.R.S. § 23-233 must be reviewed for every Employee under sixteen.

4. EARNED PAID SICK TIME AND PROTECTED LEAVE

4.1 Earned Paid Sick Time

Employees accrue at least one hour of earned paid sick time for every thirty hours worked. Employees of an employer with fifteen or more Employees may accrue and use up to forty hours per year; Employees of a smaller employer may accrue and use up to twenty-four hours per year, unless the Company selects a higher limit.

Earned paid sick time may be used for the Employee's or a covered family member's illness, diagnosis, treatment, or preventive care; specified public-health closures or exposures; and qualifying needs arising from domestic violence, sexual violence, abuse, or stalking. Requests, documentation, increments, carryover or lawful frontloading, reinstatement after rehire, and anti-retaliation protections will be administered under A.R.S. §§ 23-372 through 23-374 and current Industrial Commission rules.

4.2 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.

4.3 Jury Service

The Company will permit jury service and will not require or request an Employee to use annual, vacation, or sick leave for responding to a summons, jury selection, or service. The Company will not dismiss, penalize, or reduce seniority because of jury service and will restore the Employee as required by A.R.S. § 21-236. Arizona law does not require compensation for the absence; Company pay status is [UNPAID / PAID BY POLICY].

4.4 Voting

An Employee entitled to vote in an Arizona primary or general election who has fewer than three consecutive hours between poll opening and the start of the regular shift or between the end of the shift and poll closing may request enough time at the beginning or end of the shift to provide a total of three consecutive hours. The request must be made before election day. The Company may specify the hours and will not deduct the Employee's usual salary or wages for the protected absence, consistent with A.R.S. § 16-402.

4.5 Crime-Victim Leave

When A.R.S. § 13-4439 applies, the Company will allow an Employee who is a crime victim to leave work for covered criminal proceedings or to seek specified protective relief. The statute generally covers employers with fifty or more Employees, does not itself require compensation, permits use or required use of accrued paid leave, protects seniority, requires confidentiality, and allows limits for undue hardship. Human Resources will review documentation and scheduling under the statute without retaliation.

4.6 Military Duty

The Company will provide leave and reemployment rights required by USERRA. Under A.R.S. § 26-168, the Company will not refuse qualifying military-duty or training leave to members of the Arizona or another state's National Guard or the United States Armed Forces reserves; protected leave will not cause loss of seniority or precedence, and return rights will be administered as the statute requires.

4.7 Company Leave

5. SAFETY, WORKERS' COMPENSATION, TESTING, AND WEAPONS

5.1 Workplace Safety

The Company will comply with applicable Arizona 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.

5.2 Workers' Compensation

The Company will secure workers' compensation coverage through an authorized carrier, approved self-insurance, or another method permitted by A.R.S. § 23-961. Work-related injuries or illnesses must be reported promptly to [CONTACT].

5.3 Drug and Alcohol Testing

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 satisfying A.R.S. § 23-493.04, including the covered persons, circumstances, substances, methods, consequences, result and explanation rights, and confidentiality provisions. The policy will also be reviewed for A.R.S. § 36-2813, which restricts employment discrimination based solely on medical-marijuana cardholder status or a qualifying patient's positive marijuana test, subject to its statutory exceptions.

5.4 Weapons and Private Vehicles

Weapons may be prohibited in Company buildings and work areas to the extent permitted by law. The Company generally will not prohibit lawful transportation or storage of a firearm that is not visible from outside and is in a locked privately owned motor vehicle or locked motorcycle compartment, subject to the exceptions and alternative-parking provisions in A.R.S. § 12-781.

6. RECORDS, PRIVACY, AND PROTECTED ACTIVITY

6.1 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.

6.2 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.

6.3 Social Media

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

7. CONDUCT, ATTENDANCE, AND CORRECTIVE ACTION

7.1 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].

7.2 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, earned paid sick time, FMLA, jury, voting, crime-victim, military, workers' compensation, and other protected-absence laws.

7.3 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.

8. SEPARATION OF EMPLOYMENT

8.1 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 outside A.R.S. § 23-352.

8.2 Final Pay and Benefits

A discharged Employee will be paid wages due within seven working days or by the end of the next regular pay period, whichever is sooner. An Employee who quits will be paid no later than the regular payday for the pay period in which separation occurred and may request payment by mail. Accrued vacation, severance, commission, bonus, earned paid sick time, and benefit continuation will be handled under A.R.S. § 23-353, the governing written plan or policy, and other applicable law.

9. ADMINISTRATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

9.1 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.

9.2 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.

9.3 Separate Agreements

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

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

• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 23-363
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 23-372
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 23-373
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 23-374
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 23-351
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 23-352
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 23-353
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 23-1501
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 41-1461
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 41-1463
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 16-402
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 21-236
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 13-4439
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 26-168
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 12-781
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 23-493.04
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 36-2813
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 23-961
• Arizona Legislature — A.R.S. § 23-233
• Industrial Commission of Arizona — 2026 Minimum Wage
• Industrial Commission of Arizona — Minimum Wage and Earned Paid Sick Time FAQs
• Industrial Commission of Arizona — Youth Employment Hours
• Industrial Commission of Arizona — Hours Worked Policy
• U.S. Department of Labor — FMLA Fact Sheet #28
• U.S. Department of Labor — USERRA
• U.S. EEOC — Equal Employment Opportunity Laws
• NLRB — Employee Rights

END OF DOCUMENT