Creating Employee Handbooks that Protect You and Support the Company Culture - 2026 Update

Your employee handbook is a critical risk management tool and needs to show employees how to behave and what procedures must be followed when they don’t.  What’s exciting is that those handbooks can also play a role in defining company culture!

Do your employees WANT to read your handbook? Is it interesting? Attractive? Positive? Did they have any role in creating it?

How can you take advantage of graphics, multimedia, and online storage in creating and sharing your handbook?

In this fast-moving training, attorney, author, and speaker, Don Phin, will take us through the basics of handbook compliance, including 2026 updates. Don will remind us about the importance of staying compliant with a wide range of laws, including those promulgated by Federal, State, and Municipal governing bodies, along with the myriad of regulations and case laws surrounding the interpretation of those laws.

Then, Don will focus on the opportunities available in creating great employee handbooks. He will discuss how you can focus your handbook on defining and reinforcing your company culture, vision, mission, values, goals, and more.

Finally, he’ll talk about bringing your employee handbook to life and the opportunities that have been created by graphics, media, and the online storage and dissemination of handbooks.

• Quick history of the evolution of employee handbooks
• Don’t put your disclaimers before your welcome letter
• At-will and other disclaimers
• Hiring and orientation
• Wage and hour
• Performance management and discipline
• Communication policies
• Benefits
• Leave Management
• Discrimination and Harassment
• Safety
• Bringing your employee handbook to life

• You’ll know what must be in your handbook for 2026.
• You’ll know what can be in your handbook.
• You’ll be able to create an employee handbook that people want to read.
• You’ll learn how to use video and other tools to bring your handbook to life.
• And so much more!

All attendees receive the Creating an Employee Handbook report.

Too many employee handbooks are out of date, focus only on legal or administrative policies, and are boring at best. Handbooks are not just for compliance and good practices; they can also support your company culture.

• Human Resources Professionals
• HR Managers
• HR Generalists
• Employee Relations Specialists
• Compliance Officers
• Legal Professionals
• In-House Counsel
• Risk Management Professionals
• Internal Auditors
• Finance Leaders
• Executives
• Business Owners
• Managers
• Supervisors
• Management Consultants