Employee Handbook

[COMPANY NAME] Employee Handbook

Connecticut Employees

Effective Date: [EFFECTIVE DATE]

DOCUMENT HEADER

This Employee Handbook (“Handbook”) states the current workplace policies of [COMPANY NAME] (“Company”) for employees assigned to work in Connecticut.

• This Handbook replaces earlier Company handbooks and policies on the same subjects.
• This Handbook is not an employment contract and does not promise employment for a fixed period or require a particular disciplinary sequence.
• A separate written agreement, benefit-plan document, collective bargaining agreement, or applicable law may control a particular subject.
• The Company may revise this Handbook in writing, subject to applicable law.

Questions should be directed to [HR CONTACT / TITLE / EMAIL / PHONE].

1. EMPLOYMENT ADMINISTRATION

1.1 Employee Classifications

Employees are classified as exempt or nonexempt and as full-time, part-time, regular, temporary, or seasonal. Human Resources (“HR”) determines classifications after reviewing actual job duties and applicable law. A job title or salary alone does not determine overtime status.

1.2 Introductory Period

New employees ordinarily complete an introductory period of [NUMBER] days. Completion of that period does not create a fixed employment term or guarantee continued employment.

1.3 Personnel Information

Employees must promptly report changes to their legal name, address, telephone number, emergency contact, tax withholding, or work authorization information.

2. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, ACCOMMODATION, AND HARASSMENT

2.1 Equal Employment Opportunity

The Company prohibits discrimination or harassment based on age, ancestry, color, learning disability, intellectual disability, marital status, national origin, physical disability, mental disability, race, religious creed, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, status as a victim of domestic violence, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. This policy applies to recruiting, hiring, compensation, training, promotion, discipline, discharge, and other terms and conditions of employment.

2.2 Reasonable Accommodation

The Company will use an individualized process to address disability, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, religious, and other accommodation requests. Pregnancy-related accommodation will be provided as required by Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-60(b)(7), unless the Company establishes an applicable statutory defense. Contact [HR CONTACT] to request an accommodation.

2.3 Prohibited Harassment

Sexual harassment and other harassment based on a protected characteristic are prohibited. The policy covers verbal, physical, visual, and electronic conduct involving employees, applicants, customers, vendors, and other workplace participants.

2.4 Reporting and Investigation

An employee may report discrimination, harassment, or retaliation to any of the following:

• [HR CONTACT / EMAIL / PHONE]
• [ALTERNATE MANAGER / TITLE]
• [HOTLINE / EXTERNAL REPORTING SERVICE]

An employee is not required to report to a person involved in the concern. The Company will respond promptly, preserve confidentiality to the extent practicable, and take corrective action when warranted. Retaliation for a good-faith report, request for accommodation, or participation in an investigation is prohibited.

2.5 Connecticut Sexual-Harassment Training

The Company will apply the current Conn. Gen. Stat. § 46a-54 training rules:

• An employer with three or more employees must provide two hours of training to a new employee within six months after the employee starts work.
• An employer with fewer than three employees must provide two hours of training to each new supervisory employee within six months after the supervisor starts work.
• Covered employers must provide periodic supplemental training not less than once every ten years.
• An employer with three or more employees must provide new employees the required information concerning the illegality of sexual harassment and available remedies.

Training records will be maintained by [HR / COMPLIANCE CONTACT].

3. WAGE AND HOUR PRACTICES

3.1 Workweek and Timekeeping

The Company workweek begins [DAY/TIME] and ends [DAY/TIME]. Nonexempt employees must accurately record all working time, including authorized remote work, training, and work performed before or after a scheduled shift. Off-the-clock work is prohibited and must be reported so it can be paid.

3.2 Pay Schedule

Employees are paid [WEEKLY / ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS] on [PAYDAY]. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-71b generally requires payment weekly or once every two weeks on a regular payday designated in advance, subject to its exceptions and the Labor Commissioner waiver process.

3.3 Minimum Wage

Covered employees will be paid at least the applicable minimum wage. Connecticut’s general minimum wage is $16.94 per hour from January 1 through December 31, 2026. HR must update this section before any later effective date and must review tipped, minor, industry-specific, or local requirements separately.

3.4 Overtime

Covered nonexempt employees will receive at least one and one-half times the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, subject to the exemptions and special rules in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-76c and federal law. Advance approval is required before working overtime, but all time actually worked must be reported and paid.

3.5 Meal Periods

An employee who is required to work seven and one-half or more consecutive hours will receive at least 30 consecutive minutes for a meal after the first two hours and before the last two hours of work, subject to the statutory exemptions in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-51ii. Whether the period is paid depends on whether the employee is relieved of duties and the controlling wage rules.

3.6 Payroll Deductions and Corrections

The Company will make deductions only when required or permitted by law. Payroll must review any proposed employee-authorized deduction under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-71e before withholding it. Employees should report a suspected payroll error promptly to [PAYROLL CONTACT]; reporting an error will not result in retaliation.

4. ATTENDANCE AND TIME OFF

4.1 Attendance

Employees must report an absence or late arrival to [CONTACT] as soon as practicable. Statutory leave, paid sick leave, disability accommodation, and other protected absences will not be administered under attendance rules in a manner prohibited by law.

4.2 Company Paid Time Off

The Company provides [VACATION / PTO / PERSONAL LEAVE] under the following written schedule: [ACCRUAL, USE, CARRYOVER, AND PAYOUT TERMS]. HR must review those terms before publication because a written policy or agreement may affect whether an amount is earned and payable.

4.3 Connecticut Paid Sick Leave

For 2026, the law generally covers Connecticut employers with 11 or more employees, based on payroll for the week containing January 1. The threshold becomes one or more employees on January 1, 2027. Covered employees exclude seasonal employees who work 120 days or less in a year and the construction-union employees described in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-57r.

• Accrual: one hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per benefit year.
• Use: beginning 120 calendar days after hire, unless the Company permits earlier use, in increments of one hour unless a statutory exception applies.
• Carryover: [SELECT ONE: carry over up to 40 unused accrued hours / provide the forthcoming year’s entitlement at the beginning of the benefit year].
• Covered reasons include the employee’s or a family member’s health needs, preventive care, a mental-health wellness day, specified public-health closures or communicable-disease risks, and qualifying needs related to family violence or sexual assault.
• The Company will not require documentation that statutory paid sick leave is being used for a permitted reason.

The Company may provide more generous benefits, but the policy may not reduce statutory rights.

4.4 Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (“CTFMLA”)

An eligible employee who has completed three consecutive months of employment may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for qualifying family or medical reasons. An additional two weeks may be available for incapacity during pregnancy, and up to 26 weeks may be available in a single 12-month period for covered servicemember care. HR will provide current notices, certification forms, intermittent-leave rules, and reinstatement information.

4.5 Connecticut Paid Leave (“CTPL”)

CTPL provides income-replacement benefits for eligible absences but is not, by itself, the source of job protection. Benefits may be available for up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period, with up to two additional weeks for incapacity or medical treatment during pregnancy. Benefits for family-violence or sexual-assault leave are limited to 12 days. Employees apply through the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority or the Company’s approved private plan, if any.

4.6 Federal FMLA and Leave Coordination

When an absence qualifies under both federal and Connecticut family-and-medical-leave law, it may count against both entitlements as provided by 29 C.F.R. § 825.701. CTPL benefits and job-protected leave may also run at the same time. HR will identify the controlling laws in the applicable leave notice; leave will not be stacked or run concurrently unless permitted by law.

4.7 Family-Violence or Sexual-Assault Leave

At employers covered by Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-51ss, an eligible employee may take up to 12 days of leave in a calendar year for the statute’s covered needs arising from family violence or sexual assault. This leave is separate from other leave to the extent required by law. Contact [HR CONTACT] for confidential administration.

4.8 Jury Service

The Company will not discharge, threaten, coerce, or penalize an employee for responding to a jury summons or serving as a juror. A full-time employed juror—generally one normally required to work at least 30 hours per week—will receive regular wages from the employer for the first five days, or part thereof, of jury service under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 51-247. Eight hours of jury duty constitutes a legal day’s work under § 51-247a.

4.9 Military Service

The Company prohibits discrimination or retaliation based on protected uniformed service and provides reemployment rights as required by USERRA, including 38 U.S.C. §§ 4311-4312. HR will review notice, cumulative-service, return-to-work, documentation, benefit, and statutory-exception rules for each absence.

4.10 Voting and Other Leave

Voting time and any other statutory or Company leave will be administered under [COMPANY POLICY] and the law in effect on the date of the request. HR must not reuse the former temporary Connecticut two-hour voting-leave rule, which expired June 30, 2024, without confirming that new authority applies.

5. BENEFITS

5.1 Health and Welfare Plans

Eligibility for medical, dental, vision, disability, life-insurance, and other benefits begins [ELIGIBILITY DATE]. The governing plan documents control eligibility, coverage, exclusions, and claims.

5.2 Retirement Plan

Eligible employees may participate in [401(k) / OTHER PLAN]. The governing plan document and summary plan description control contributions, matching, vesting, distributions, and loans.

5.3 Employee Assistance Program

The Employee Assistance Program is available through [PROVIDER / CONTACT], subject to the provider’s terms and confidentiality rules.

6. CONDUCT, SAFETY, AND CORRECTIVE ACTION

6.1 Standards of Conduct

Employees must act honestly, safely, lawfully, and respectfully. Prohibited conduct includes theft, fraud, workplace violence, threats, falsification of Company records, serious insubordination, and misuse of Company property.

6.2 Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace

The unauthorized manufacture, distribution, possession, use, or impairment by controlled substances or alcohol during working time or on Company property is prohibited. This Handbook does not itself authorize testing. Any testing program must be stated in a separate reviewed policy that complies with Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 31-51t to 31-51aa. Urinalysis of a current employee ordinarily requires reasonable suspicion under § 31-51x unless a statutory exception applies; a workplace accident alone does not create an automatic testing rule in this Handbook.

6.3 Workplace Safety and Violence Prevention

Employees must follow safety and emergency rules, use required protective equipment, promptly report hazards and work-related injuries, and report threats or violent conduct to [CONTACT]. Any weapons policy must be separately reviewed for each worksite and operation.

6.4 Corrective Action

The Company may use coaching, warnings, suspension, a performance-improvement plan, termination, or another response appropriate to the circumstances. No progressive sequence is guaranteed.

7. LACTATION ACCOMMODATION

An employee may express breast milk or breastfeed at the workplace during a meal or break period. The Company will make reasonable efforts to provide a private room or other location close to the work area, other than a toilet stall, as required by Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-40w. Additional break and accommodation rights will be provided when required by federal or state law. Requests should be directed to [HR CONTACT].

8. CONFIDENTIALITY, TECHNOLOGY, AND PROTECTED ACTIVITY

8.1 Confidential Information

Employees must protect nonpublic business, customer, and personal information obtained through work. This policy does not prohibit lawful discussions of wages, hours, or working conditions; concerted activity protected by 29 U.S.C. § 157; reporting to or cooperating with a government agency; seeking legal advice; giving truthful testimony; or any other communication protected by law.

8.2 Intellectual Property and Restrictive Covenants

This Handbook does not transfer employee inventions or create a post-employment noncompetition, nonsolicitation, confidentiality, arbitration, jury-waiver, or forum-selection obligation. Any such obligation must appear in a separate agreement reviewed for the employee’s role and applicable law.

8.3 Technology Use

Company technology is provided primarily for business purposes. Employees must follow the Company’s cybersecurity, access-control, record-retention, and acceptable-use rules.

8.4 Electronic Monitoring Notice

Any electronic monitoring will be administered under a separate notice identifying the types of monitoring that may occur. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-48d generally requires prior written notice to affected employees; a conspicuously posted notice may satisfy that requirement. Monitoring without prior notice is limited to the statutory circumstances, including specified reasonable grounds to investigate misconduct when monitoring may produce evidence.

8.5 Social Media

Employees must not represent themselves as authorized Company spokespersons without permission or disclose information that this policy lawfully protects. This rule is subject to the protected-activity carveouts in Section 8.1.

9. COMPLAINTS AND EXTERNAL REPORTING

Employees may use an internal reporting route, contact a government agency, participate in an investigation, or use another available legal process. The Company prohibits retaliation for protected activity. This Handbook does not require arbitration, waive a jury right, select an exclusive court forum, create employee indemnity or fee shifting, cap statutory remedies, or excuse wage and leave duties during an emergency.

10. SEPARATION OF EMPLOYMENT

10.1 Resignation

Employees are requested to provide [NUMBER] weeks’ written notice when practicable. This is a request, not permission to delay payment of earned wages.

10.2 Final Wages

Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-71c, earned wages are generally due by the next business day after discharge and by the next regular payday after a voluntary resignation or layoff. Payroll must separately determine whether a bonus, commission, vacation, PTO, or other amount has been earned and is payable under the controlling law, plan, policy, or agreement.

10.3 Company Property

Employees must return Company property promptly. The Company will not withhold earned wages or make a deduction except as permitted by applicable law.

11. RECEIPT AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I acknowledge receipt of the [COMPANY NAME] Employee Handbook, effective [EFFECTIVE DATE]. I understand that it states workplace policies, is not an employment contract, and does not replace rights provided by applicable law or a controlling written agreement. I know that questions may be directed to [HR CONTACT].

Sources and References

• Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 814c — Human Rights and Opportunities
• Connecticut CHRO — Sexual Harassment Prevention Resources
• Connecticut CHRO — Who Is Protected
• Connecticut pregnancy-discrimination and accommodation notice
• Connecticut Department of Labor — Wage and Workplace Standards
• Connecticut Department of Labor — Wage Payment Laws
• Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 558 — Wages
• Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 557 — Employment Regulation
• Connecticut Department of Labor — 2026 Paid Sick Leave Poster
• Connecticut Department of Labor — Paid Sick Leave FAQs
• Connecticut Department of Labor and Paid Leave Authority — CTFMLA and CTPL Employee Rights Notice
• Connecticut Judicial Branch and Department of Labor — Guide to Juror Service
• Connecticut Department of Labor — Electronic Monitoring Notice and § 31-48d
• Connecticut workplace lactation guidance
• 29 U.S.C. § 157
• 29 C.F.R. § 825.701
• 38 U.S.C. § 4311
• 38 U.S.C. § 4312