HR compliance checklist for small business
If you employ people, a handful of written policies do most of the work of protecting you — and they're the same ones an insurance underwriter commonly looks for. This is a practical checklist of what belongs in a small-business employee handbook, in plain language, with why each item matters.
It's a starting point, not legal advice. When you're ready to see how your actual handbook measures up, CoverScore reads it the way an underwriter would and gives you a free readiness score.
The core policies underwriters commonly look for
Anti-harassment policy — with concrete examples and the full list of protected classes, not just a one-line prohibition.
Complaint and reporting procedure — clear steps, named recipients, and a response timeline, so an employee knows exactly how to raise a problem.
Anti-retaliation statement — unequivocal, and explicitly protecting people who report, participate in, or witness a complaint.
Equal employment opportunity (EEO) policy — enumerating the protected classes and referencing the major laws.
At-will employment statement — with a clear 'this handbook is not a contract' disclaimer.
Often-missed but worth adding
A code of conduct, a clear leave-and-accommodation framework, an acknowledgment page employees sign, and a documented process for handling and retaining complaints. None of these are exotic — they're the difference between a handbook that reads as a checkbox and one that reads as a real standard.
How to use this checklist
Walk your current handbook against the list above and mark what's missing, thin, or out of date. The thin items — a policy that exists but lacks examples, or a complaint process with no named recipient — are usually the cheapest, highest-leverage fixes.
CoverScore automates exactly this review: upload your handbook and get a free readiness score plus the specific gaps, ranked, in about ten minutes.