Disclaimer: The content provided below is for informational purposes only and does not substitute legal advice.
Last updated April, 2026
Virginia employee handbook overview
When building your Virginia employee handbook, it is crucial to include both state-specific and federal policies. Whether all of your employees are in Virginia or only a small number, you will require a Virginia-specific handbook to guarantee that your employees understand the policies and entitlements provided by their state.
You can find the mandatory state policies for Virginia, federally mandated policies, and other optional policies below.
What should be included in a Virginia employee handbook?
Every handbook should include Federal, State, and (if applicable) City-specific policies. Below are Virginia-specific policies that should be included in your handbook.
- Virginia Equal Employment Opportunity Policy: Employers may not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, age, military status, disability, or national origin.
- Virginia Reasonable Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities: Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities . They are prohibited from discriminating against employees based on their disability.
- Virginia Pregnancy Accommodations Policy: Reasonable accommodations are expected to be provided for employees experiencing pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.
- Virginia Lactation Accommodation Policy: Companies must provide reasonable accommodations and a private space, other than a bathroom, for breastfeeding employees .
- Virginia Crime Victim Leave Policy: Employees who are victims or witnesses to certain crimes are eligible to take leave to attend court proceedings. Their requests should be treated confidentially.
- Virginia Election Service Leave Policy: Employees who serve on election boards or administer elections are provided with leave to attend to those duties. They are not required to use accrued leave.
- Virginia Jury Duty Policy: Employees are provided with leave to serve as jurors or appear in court in response to a summons. They are not required to use accrued leave in order to serve.
- Virginia Sharing of Wage Information: Employers may not discharge or retaliate against employees for discussing, inquiring about, or disclosing their own or another employee's wages.
- Virginia Organ Donation Leave Policy: Companies with 50 or more employees must allow up to 60 business days of unpaid leave to serve as an organ donor and up to 30 days as a bone marrow donor.
- Virginia Meal Breaks Policy: Companies are required to provide meal breaks to employees under the age of 16 with a 30-minute meal break after five consecutive hours of work.
- Virginia Civil Air Patrol Leave: Employees who are members of the Civil Air Patrol may take leave to serve up to 10 workdays per year, or when responding to an emergency, up to 30 workdays per year.
- Virginia Military Duty Leave Policy: Employers are required to grant leave to employees called to military service, including training duty or when called by the Governor. Employees must be reinstated to their former position with the same status, pay, and seniority upon return.
- Virginia Emergency Responder Leave Policy: Employers may not penalize employees who are volunteer firefighters or emergency medical services members for absences due to emergency response. Employers are not required to pay for missed time.
- Virginia Witness Duty Leave Policy: Employers must grant leave to employees summoned for a court appearance as a witness, juror, plaintiff, or defendant. Employers may not discharge or take adverse action against employees for attending and may not require the use of sick or vacation time.
- Virginia Non-Compete Restrictions : Employers may not enforce non-competes against low-wage employees. As of July 1, 2026, non-competes are also unenforceable against employees terminated without cause unless severance pay is provided.
Federal Policies
Don’t forget about the federal policies
There are policies that should be included in every handbook to comply with US labor and employment law. Many states require additional provisions. However, this list includes core federal requirements and best practices applicable to most businesses.
Core federal policies
- Equal Employment Opportunity and Anti-Discrimination Policy Show me!
- Anti-Harassment and Complaint Procedure Show me!
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Policy Show me!
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) & Reasonable Accommodation Policy
- Military Service Leave (USERRA)
- Wage and Hour Compliance Policy (FSLA)
- At-Will Employment Notice Show me!
- Polices if you employ federal contractors (Pay Transparency Policy, Whistleblower Protection, Drug-free Workplace Policy)
Highly recommended policies
- Workplace Violence Prevention Policy
- Code of Conduct Policy
- Nursing Parents Policy
- Conflict of Interest and Business Ethics
- Disciplinary Procedures
- Use of Company Property
- Employee Classification and Pay Practices
- Health and Safety Policy
- Confidential Company Information
- Open Door Policy
- Receipt of Non-Harassment Policy
- Use of Communication and Computer Systems
- Workplace Searches and Inspections
Additional policies to include
- Industry-specific policies
- Sick Leave, Vacation Leave, PTO policy
- Company Vehicles Policy
- Punctuality and Attendance
- Benefits
- Working Schedule
- Employment Records
- Smoking
- Overtime
- Performance Reviews
- Social Media Policy
- Remote Work Policy
- Introductory Period Policy
- References
- Hiring Relatives and Significant Others
- Business Expense Reimbursement
Get all recommended policies from the free handbook builder.
Poster Requirements
Understanding labor law poster requirements can be a bit like trying to decode a complex puzzle. You need to comply with both state and federal requirements.
Why Should I Care About Displaying Posters?
You might be wondering why it's so important to display these posters in the first place. State and Federal laws mandate that employers must have up-to-date labor law posters conspicuously displayed for their employees. Failing to do so not only results in steep fines (up to $35,000 in federal fines and additional state fines) but also exposes you to real liability.
Consider this scenario: if an employee decides to bring a lawsuit against your company, and you don't have the required posters or they are outdated, you could face even more significant problems:
Statute of Limitations: Normally, there's a limited window within which an employee can file a lawsuit against you. However, if you didn't inform your employees of their rights through proper poster display, a court might decide that the statute of limitations doesn't apply.
Operating in Bad Faith: Courts may determine that you were intentionally withholding information from your employees, which could lead to a finding that you were operating in bad faith. This can substantially increase your liability.
What Are the Requirements for Displaying Labor Law Posters?
Labor law posters must be displayed at every physical location where you have employees, and they need to be conspicuously displayed for all to see.
- If you have a hybrid workplace with both in-person and remote employees, you'll need physical posters at your facilities and electronic distribution to your off-site workers.
- For fully remote companies, you can distribute posters electronically by sharing a permanent link to the appropriate posters.
- Some posters also need to be visible to job applicants, such as FMLA, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Employee Polygraph Protection posters, as per the guidance provided by the Department of Labor.
What Labor Law Posters Do I Need to Display?
You'll need both Federal and State labor law posters for each state where you have employees. The good news is that all the posters you need are provided for free by the federal government and state departments of labor. You've probably seen those convenient "all-in-one" laminated posters, but if you prefer, everything you need is also available as a free, printable document from the Virginia Department of Labor.
Federal Poster Requirements
Determining which federal posters you're required to display can be influenced by various factors, including your industry, the size of your company, benefits you provide and union affiliation.
The good news is that there's a handy tool to help you understand precisely which federal posters your company needs. You can use the Federal Poster Advisor tool to determine your specific federal poster requirements.
Virginia Labor Law Poster Requirements
You can refer to the Virginia Department of Labor for free, printable posters.
Download Virginia labor law posters here
How to create an Virginia Employee Handbook
An employee handbook isn't just a formality, it's the foundation of a well-run company. But getting it right means more than putting words on paper. Your handbook needs to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, and it needs to stay current as those laws change.
When it comes to building a legally sound, state-specific handbook, most companies face the same tough choice: hire an attorney to draft one from scratch, or try to do it yourself. The first option is expensive and time-consuming. The second is risky, especially if you're relying on generic, one-size-fits-all templates found online.
That's where Handbooks.io comes in.
Handbooks.io is an employee handbook builder trusted by many companies to create polished, fully compliant handbooks, without the legal fees or guesswork. Answer a short survey about your company, and a tailored handbook is generated in no time. It's everything you need to create, maintain, and distribute a professional employee handbook, all in one place. Let’s build this thing!
Get started on building your handbook
Creating a new handbook only takes a few minutes. And it’s easy. You can get started by answering a few interactive questions about your company. A few examples:
- How many employees do you have?
- Do you have employees in multiple states?
- Do you have an introductory period for new employees?
- Do you offer paid holidays?
- What is your payroll schedule?