Employee Handbook for 2026

Employment laws, workplace policies, and compliance requirements continue to evolve at both the federal and state levels. Organizations must regularly review and update employee handbooks, workplace policies, leave procedures, and compliance documentation to reduce legal risk and maintain compliance in 2026.

This training program is designed to help HR professionals, business owners, payroll professionals, managers, and compliance teams understand the latest workplace compliance updates impacting employers in 2026. Attendees will learn how to review handbook language, update workplace policies, strengthen documentation practices, and improve communication with employees while remaining compliant with changing laws and regulations.

The session will provide practical guidance on federal and state employment law updates, required notices and postings, leave management, accommodations, workplace conduct policies, documentation retention, and best practices for policy implementation. Participants will also learn how to identify common compliance mistakes, conduct internal audits, and prepare their organizations for ongoing regulatory changes.

As workplace expectations and legal requirements continue to change, organizations must ensure policies, procedures, and employee communications remain current, compliant, and clearly understood across the workforce.

Session Highlights – 2026 Updates

Leave Management & Paid Leave Compliance

· Review 2026 updates to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

· Understand state paid family leave and paid sick leave requirements

· Address multi-state leave compliance challenges

· Review PTO, vacation, attendance, and call-in procedures

· Best practices for leave documentation and employee communication

· Understand accommodations and leave coordination requirements

Workplace Policies & Employee Handbook Updates

· Review required employee handbook updates for 2026

· Update policies to align with evolving federal, state, and local laws

· Review policy acknowledgment and sign-off procedures

· Understand documentation and record retention requirements

· Learn how to strengthen workplace communication and policy consistency

Equal Employment Opportunity & ADA Compliance

· Review evolving EEO and anti-discrimination requirements

· Understand updates related to pay equity, workplace protections, and accommodations

· Review ADA compliance and reasonable accommodation practices

· Understand emerging state-specific employment protections

· Best practices for annual policy reviews and manager training

Drug-Free Workplace & Marijuana Testing Policies

· Review state and local marijuana testing restrictions

· Understand pre-employment and reasonable suspicion testing requirements

· Address recreational and medical marijuana legislation trends

· Review DOT-related testing obligations where applicable

· Update drug-free workplace policies to align with 2026 laws

Workplace Conduct & Harassment Prevention

· Review sexual harassment prevention policy requirements

· Understand complaint reporting, investigation, and documentation procedures

· Review training obligations and workplace conduct expectations

· Best practices for maintaining respectful workplace standards

Pandemic, Remote Work & Workplace Flexibility Policies

· Update pandemic response and workplace shutdown policies

· Review remote and hybrid workplace considerations

· Address employee communication during workplace disruptions

· Understand leave accrual, seniority, and payroll implications during closures

· Develop stronger emergency response procedures

At-Will Employment & Documentation Practices

· Ensure at-will employment language is properly communicated

· Review handbook disclaimers and acknowledgment forms

· Understand legal considerations surrounding employee documentation

· Learn best practices for maintaining compliant personnel records

Key Areas Covered

· Compliance Requirements for 2026

· Policy & Handbook Audits

· Record Retention Requirements

· Required Postings & Documentation

· Common Compliance Mistakes

· Legal & Regulatory Risks

· Internal Auditing Best Practices

· Employee Communication Strategies

· Multi-State Compliance Challenges

· Relevance to Your Organization

· Practical Action Steps for Employers

Who Should Attend:

· Human Resources Professionals

· Small Business Owners

· Non-Profit Administrators

· General Managers

· Office Managers

· Payroll Professionals

· Lawmakers

· Attorneys

· Accounting Professionals

· Consultants

· Labor Unions

· Professors, Instructors, and Trainers

Instructor

Matthew Burr

HR Consultant

Matthew Burr has over 16-years of experience working in the human resources field, starting his career as an Industrial Relations Intern at Kennedy Valve Manufacturing to most recently founding and managing a human resource consulting company; Burr Consulting, LLC, Talentscape, LLC and Co-Owner of Labor Love, a Labor, and Employment Law poster printing company. Prior to founding the consulting firm, the majority of his career was heavy industry manufacturing and healthcare. He specializes in compliance auditing, training labor and employment law, conflict resolution, performance management, labor, and employment relations. Matthew has a generalist background in HR and operations, while providing strategic HR and operational solutions to his clients, focusing on small and medium sized organizations. He works as an Adjunct at Alfred State University, Tompkins Cortland Community College, and The College of St. Rose. He successfully designed an HR Concentration in the business management major that aligned with both SHRM and HRCI certifications, providing opportunities for students to sit for both the SHRM-CP and aPHR certifications upon completion of the degree, concentration, and internship hours as an Assistant Professor of Management at Elmira College (Retired January 2022). Matthew is also the SHRM Certification Exam Instructor, with a current pass rate of 92% on the SHRM-SCP and 83% pass rate on the SHRM-CP and a combined 88% on both exams over a 7-year period of instructing the course (Elmira College, Collin College & The College of St. Rose). Matthew works as a trainer Tompkins Cortland Community College, Corning Community College, Broome Community College, and HR Instructor for Certification Preparation for the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). He also acts as an On-Call Mediator and Factfinder through the Public Employment Relations Board in New York State, working with public sector employers and labor unions.

Credits

Frequently Asked Questions

Live training course/ webinar is an Online training seminar which you can access through your computer and laptop or phone and directly interact with our expert speaker and allow to ask questions during the Live webinar. Conference material used by our speaker to the Live webinar will be provide with your Instruction kit before the Training.

Recorded webinars or On-Demand are self-paced audio-visual training program that you can watch at your own pace to earn Continuing Education Units (if applicable). Online, recorded training courses are accessible whenever you choose, for an unlimited number of times. Additionally, you have three months from the purchase date to watch as many times as you like. After a live training or webinar has started, you will receive the instructions and link to access the recorded training course. If it has already been recorded, you can access it right away.

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Employee Handbook 2026: Key Updates Every Employer Must Know

Course Type	HR & Payroll
Date & Time	May 29th 2026 01:00 PM ET
Duration	90 Minutes
Instructior	Matthew Burr

Purchase Options

Live
Live session is a live webinar which you access through your computer and headphones and you can ask your questions directly to our speaker.

$ 195
Recorded
Recorded session is a recorded format of live webinar which you can access anytime at your convenience without any time limit.

$ 205
E-transcript
E-transcripts is a text version of a live webinar which you will get in pdf format.

$ 205
Live + Recorded
In live and recorded session you can access your live webinar and also access your recorded part of the webinar for your reference.

$ 215
Live + Recorded
+ E-transcript
Live session is a live webinar which you access through your computer and headphones and you can ask your questions directly to our speaker. Recorded session is a recorded format of live webinar which you can access anytime at per your convenience without any time limit. E-transcripts is a text version of a live webinar which you will get in pdf format.

$ 225
Recorded + E-transcript
Recorded session is a recorded format of live webinar which you can access anytime at your convenience without any time limit. E-transcripts is a text version of a live webinar which you will get in pdf format.

$ 215
Live + E-transcript
Live session is a live webinar which you access through your computer and headphones and you can ask your questions directly to our speaker.

$ 215
Recorded with Copyright
E-transcripts is a text version of a live webinar which you will get in pdf format. Copyright is a recorded session which you can share with your colleagues.

$ 225

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