HR Policy & Handbook Drafting

Overview

The employee handbook and HR policy manual are the foundational documents of the employment relationship. In litigation, they are the first documents produced — and the first to be scrutinised by tribunals, labour courts, and inquiry officers. Policies that are vague, inconsistent, or non-compliant with applicable statutes do not merely fail to protect the employer; they actively create liability. In India, HR documentation operates across multiple legal registers simultaneously. The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act 1946 — and its successor under the Industrial Relations Code 2020 — mandates that establishments employing 100 or more workmen maintain certified standing orders covering conditions of employment, classification of workmen, leave, disciplinary procedures, and termination. Departures from certified standing orders are a common ground for challenging disciplinary action in labour courts. Beyond statutory standing orders, every establishment requires a body of policy documentation that addresses the realities of the modern workplace: POSH policy and Internal Committee constitution under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013; data protection obligations under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023; bring-your-own-device and information security policies; remote work and flexible working arrangements; social media conduct; conflict of interest and anti-bribery compliance under the Prevention of Corruption Act. For organisations with operations across Delhi NCR — particularly those with establishments in Delhi, Gurgaon, and Noida — the applicable state-specific Shops and Establishments Acts impose distinct requirements on working hours, leave entitlements, and employment conditions that must be reflected accurately in company-wide policies. Corpus Juris Legal drafts policy documentation that is legally precise without being operationally unworkable. We translate statutory requirements into plain language that HR teams can administer and employees can understand, while ensuring that every critical provision is structured to hold in disciplinary proceedings and litigation.

Key Service Components

• ◆Employee handbook drafting — comprehensive, jurisdiction-specific, legally compliant
• ◆Standing orders drafting and certification under Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act
• ◆POSH policy, ICC constitution and anti-sexual harassment framework under POSH Act 2013
• ◆Data handling and privacy policy aligned to DPDP Act 2023
• ◆Disciplinary procedure and domestic inquiry policy drafting
• ◆Leave policy — annual, sick, maternity, paternity and statutory entitlements
• ◆Remote work, flexi-work and BYOD policy frameworks
• ◆Conflict of interest, anti-bribery and gifts policy aligned to Prevention of Corruption Act
• ◆HR policy audit and gap assessment against applicable statutes
• ◆State-specific compliance for Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh establishments

Our Approach

Corpus Juris Legal drafts HR documentation from the disciplinary and litigation backwards — structuring every policy so that it functions as a legal instrument when needed, while remaining accessible and operational in day-to-day use. We work closely with the client's HR leadership to ensure that policies reflect actual practice and are integrated into onboarding and acknowledgment processes that create a clear evidentiary record.

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