Update Your Employee Handbook With 2026 Developments Checklist
Author: Brightmine Editorial Team
When to Use
HR professionals understand that maintaining a legally compliant employee handbook is essential to protecting the organization and supporting the workforce. But keeping pace with the volume of legal developments and determining which impact the handbook can be challenging tasks, especially for multi-state employers.
This checklist will help. Organized by jurisdiction, it highlights significant new compliance requirements that have prompted changes to employee-facing policies so far this year. It also provides links to the relevant handbook policy templates.
To use the checklist, employers should identify the jurisdictions where they operate or have employees, then review the "When to Include" section in each policy to determine whether the underlying law applies to their workplace. Employers can then update, add or remove policies as needed to keep the handbook current and compliant.
