Top 10 HR questions from small business owners

No law requires most small Oklahoma businesses to have one. But a handbook is the single best way to set clear expectations, apply rules consistently and protect yourself if a decision is ever challenged.

Keep it short, match it to how you actually run things, and have every employee sign that they received it.

It depends on headcount. A few federal milestones:

• Most employers: minimum wage and overtime (FLSA), I-9 forms, and workplace safety (OSHA).
• 15 or more employees: discrimination laws such as Title VII and the ADA.
• 20 or more: age discrimination law (ADEA) and COBRA health coverage continuation.
• 50 or more: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Oklahoma adds its own rules on top of these, so check before you assume a law doesn't apply to you.

Yes. In general, you or the employee can end the job at any time, for any lawful reason. The key word is lawful.

You can't fire someone for a discriminatory reason, for reporting a safety or legal concern, or in a way that breaks a promise you made in a contract or policy. Good documentation is what shows your reason was a lawful one.

Only if they truly work like an independent business. If you control when, where and how the work gets done, provide the tools, and treat them like part of the team, they are probably an employee.

Getting this wrong can mean back taxes, back overtime and penalties.

Possibly. A salary alone doesn't make someone exempt. To skip overtime, the person must earn at least the federal minimum salary for exemption and their actual job duties must qualify, such as managing others or doing professional work.

Job titles don't decide it. What the person actually does all day does.

Oklahoma doesn't require meal or rest breaks for adult employees. If you do give short breaks, generally under 20 minutes, federal law says they must be paid.

Meal periods of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid if the employee is fully relieved of work. Minors and nursing mothers have extra protections.

Oklahoma doesn't require private employers to offer paid vacation or sick leave. But once you offer it, your written policy is a promise.

Spell out how time is earned, when it can be used, and whether unused time is paid out when someone leaves.

In Oklahoma, final wages are due by the next regular payday, whether the employee quit or was let go.

Don't hold a check until equipment or keys are returned. Plan for that ahead of time in your policies instead.

Document performance or conduct problems as they happen, and make sure the employee was told about them. Apply your rules the same way to everyone.

Keep the conversation short, respectful and private, have a witness, and have the final paycheck and next steps ready. If the situation is complicated, call for advice before the meeting, not after.

Most Oklahoma employers are required to carry workers' comp, even with just one employee. A few narrow exceptions exist.

If you have employees and aren't sure you're covered, check with your insurance agent this week.