Texas Hourly Employee Handbook Example: Alder Home Services

Welcome to Alder Home Services LLC. This employee handbook introduces how we work together: our expectations, your rights and responsibilities, and the benefits and policies that shape daily life at the company. It applies to all employees, and it is part of our commitment to a fair, respectful, and predictable workplace.

Please read this employee handbook carefully and keep it for reference. If anything is unclear, or if you have questions this employee handbook does not answer, contact Dana Ruiz, Owner at dana@alderhome.example. We would always rather answer a question early than let a misunderstanding grow.

This employee handbook is a practical guide, not an employment contract. It summarizes company policies and general practices so that every employee knows what to expect and what is expected of them. Nothing in this employee handbook creates a promise of continued employment or a guarantee of any specific disciplinary sequence.

Where permitted by law, employment with Alder Home Services LLC is at-will: either you or the company may end the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause and with or without notice, subject to any applicable employment agreement or the requirements of law. Some states recognize exceptions to at-will employment, and nothing in this employee handbook is intended to override those exceptions or any applicable agreement.

The company may update this employee handbook from time to time. When policies change, we will communicate the update, and the current version in effect will govern. The effective date of this edition is February 1, 2027.

Alder Home Services LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions — including hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline, and termination — are based on qualifications, performance, and business needs, not on personal characteristics protected by law. Protected characteristics include race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, and any additional characteristics protected by applicable state or local law.

We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs and practices, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. If you need an accommodation, contact Dana Ruiz, Owner at dana@alderhome.example.

Alder Home Services LLC is committed to a workplace free of harassment. Harassment based on any legally protected characteristic — including sexual harassment — is prohibited. This applies to conduct by managers, coworkers, vendors, customers, and anyone else employees interact with while working, and it applies on-site, off-site, online, and at work-related events.

Harassment includes unwelcome conduct such as offensive jokes or slurs, epithets or name-calling, physical assault or threats, intimidation, ridicule or mockery, insults or put-downs, offensive objects or pictures, and interference with work performance. Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, whether submitted to or rejected.

How to report harassment:

• Report promptly to your direct supervisor or to any other member of management you are comfortable with.
• You may also report to Dana Ruiz, Owner at dana@alderhome.example, or to any company leader — you are never limited to a single channel.
• Employees may also contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or their state fair-employment agency; a company report is not required first.

The company will respond promptly. Reports are kept confidential to the extent possible consistent with a thorough investigation. We investigate all reports in a prompt, thorough, and impartial manner, and we take appropriate corrective action when a policy violation is found. Retaliation against anyone who reports harassment in good faith, participates in an investigation, or opposes unlawful practices is strictly prohibited and is itself a violation of this employee handbook. If you believe you have experienced retaliation, report it using the same channels above.

Each employee is assigned a classification that affects pay practices and scheduling. Employees are generally classified as full-time or part-time based on regularly scheduled hours, and positions are designated as exempt or non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and applicable state law. Classification depends on the actual duties of the position, not on job title alone.

Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime pay as described in the Compensation section of this employee handbook. Exempt employees are paid on a salary basis and are not eligible for overtime. If you have questions about your classification, contact Dana Ruiz, Owner.

This employee handbook applies to employees only. Independent contractors, interns, and other workers are engaged under separate written agreements, and contractor status depends on the actual working relationship and applicable law — a label alone does not determine it.

Reliable attendance is essential to serving our customers and colleagues. Employees are expected to arrive on time, ready to work, for every scheduled shift, and to remain at work for the full shift except during authorized breaks. For non-exempt employees, all time worked must be recorded accurately; employees must never work unrecorded hours, off the clock, or have another employee record time for them.

If you are unable to work, will be late, or must leave early, notify your supervisor as far in advance as possible and follow your team’s call-out procedure. Unreported absences may lead to corrective action. Repeated tardiness or absence without authorization may also lead to corrective action, applied consistently and in line with applicable law.

The company recognizes that illness, family emergencies, and protected leave happen. When they do, follow the reporting steps in this section and, where applicable, the leave policies described elsewhere in this employee handbook.

The standard work week at Alder Home Services LLC begins on Monday. Employees are paid Weekly based on recorded hours or salary, as applicable. Pay statements itemize earnings and deductions as required by law.

Non-exempt employees must record all hours worked, including time worked remotely or outside normal hours. Overtime must be approved by a supervisor in advance whenever practicable. Working overtime without prior approval may lead to corrective action; however, all compensable time worked by covered non-exempt employees is paid as required by applicable law, at the required overtime rate. Overtime approval issues are corrected through coaching and discipline, never by withholding pay for hours already worked.

Deductions from pay are made only as permitted by law. If you believe a paycheck contains an error, report it promptly to Dana Ruiz, Owner or dana@alderhome.example and it will be reviewed and corrected as required.

Wage discussions: nothing in this employee handbook prohibits employees from discussing their own wages or working conditions with coworkers or others, to the extent protected by law.

This section summarizes the pay practices that apply to hourly and other non-exempt employees. It supplements — never replaces — the Compensation and Hours Worked section of this employee handbook.

• Clock in at the start of your shift and clock out at the end; record all hours worked, including short increments where the timekeeping system allows.
• Meal periods and rest breaks follow the schedule set by your supervisor and any stricter rules required by your state — for example, California meal and rest break requirements as described in the California section of this employee handbook.
• Pre-shift and post-shift tasks (opening, closing, cleanup, mandatory meetings) are work time and must be recorded.
• Report missed breaks, timeclock errors, or unrecorded hours to your supervisor or dana@alderhome.example right away so they can be corrected.

Covered non-exempt employees earn overtime pay as required by the FLSA and applicable state law. If any instruction ever suggests not recording time worked, do not follow it — record the time and report it.

The company observes the following paid holidays for eligible employees: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. When a holiday falls on a weekend, the company designates an observance day. Eligibility and holiday pay practices for non-exempt employees follow applicable law and company practice.

Time away from work — for vacation, illness, family needs, bereavement, jury duty, voting, or military service — is governed by the specific policies in this employee handbook and by applicable federal, state, and local law. Where state or local law requires paid or unpaid leave, the legal requirements apply even if this employee handbook does not describe them in detail.

Requests for planned time off should be submitted to your supervisor as early as possible. Nothing in this section limits leave rights you may have under law, and where this employee handbook is silent, applicable legal requirements control.

Alder Home Services LLC expects every employee to act professionally, lawfully, and with respect for colleagues, customers, and the company. This employee handbook cannot list every expectation, but the following standards apply at all times while representing the company.

• Treat coworkers, customers, and vendors with courtesy and respect; discriminatory, harassing, or abusive behavior is prohibited as described in the Anti-Harassment Policy.
• Perform assigned duties honestly and safely, and follow lawful instructions from supervisors.
• Protect company property, funds, and confidential business information.
• Avoid conflicts of interest, and disclose any outside employment or interest that could reasonably conflict with your duties.
• Do not report to work under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs, and do not possess, use, or distribute them at work.

Nothing in this employee handbook is intended to interfere with employees’ legal rights, including the right to discuss wages, hours, or working conditions with coworkers, to raise concerns about workplace conditions together, or to engage in activity protected by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act. These standards are written to be read consistently with those rights.

Violations of these standards are addressed through corrective action proportionate to the circumstances. The company retains discretion over the response, and no specific sequence of discipline is promised.

Company-provided devices, accounts, email, and networks are provided for business use. Employees should have no expectation of privacy in company systems beyond what the law provides; the company may access, monitor, and preserve content on its systems to the extent permitted by law. Use of personal devices for work should follow the same care.

Employees must keep confidential information confidential. Confidential information includes personnel records, customer data, financial information, and trade secrets — both during employment and after it ends. Legal obligations to report unlawful conduct, and disclosures protected by law (including whistleblower protections), always override this policy.

On social media and in public communications: identify your views as your own when speaking personally, do not disclose confidential information, and do not speak on behalf of the company unless authorized. Employees remain free to discuss wages, hours, working conditions, and other terms of employment with each other and with others, to the extent protected by law — nothing in this employee handbook restricts those discussions or lawful concerted activity.

Safety comes first. Alder Home Services LLC is committed to maintaining a safe and healthful workplace and to complying with applicable occupational safety and health requirements, including the Occupational Safety and Health Act where it applies.

• Perform your work safely and follow all safety rules, procedures, and training.
• Report accidents, injuries, hazards, and near-misses to your supervisor immediately — same day whenever possible.
• Do not operate equipment you are not trained and authorized to use, and never bypass safety devices.
• Keep work areas, walkways, and exits clear and clean.

Employees may raise safety concerns with their supervisor, Dana Ruiz, Owner at dana@alderhome.example, or directly with the relevant safety authority, and the company prohibits retaliation for good-faith safety reports. Violence, threats of violence, and weapons in the workplace (where prohibited by law or company rule) are not tolerated.

Employment may end voluntarily (resignation) or involuntively (termination or layoff). Whenever employment ends, the company asks employees to provide notice where practicable — at least two weeks is appreciated for resignations — and to return all company property, including devices, keys, credentials, and documents.

Final pay is issued as required by applicable law, including any rules about the timing and form of final wages in the state where the employee works. Benefits continuation and unused leave payouts, where applicable, are handled according to plan terms and applicable law.

Obligations that survive employment — such as confidentiality of company and personal information — continue after the last day of work. Exit feedback is welcome: honest feedback helps us improve.

I acknowledge that I have received and read the Alder Home Services LLC employee handbook, that I have had the opportunity to ask questions about it, and that I understand the policies described in it.

I understand that this employee handbook is not an employment contract, that it does not alter the at-will employment relationship where applicable, and that the company may revise it at any time. I understand that it does not cover every situation and that where it is silent, applicable law controls.

Employee name: ______________________ Signature: ______________________ Date: ____________