NEWS: The League’s outside attorneys, the Husch Blackwell law firm, have completed their periodic review and update of our Model Credit Union Employee Handbook (WCUL #83010, Rev. 8/25) for Wisconsin credit unions with fewer than 50 employees.
Current handbook subscribers will automatically receive the new version in the upcoming weeks as part of their annual maintenance license agreement. A “redlined” .pdf version of the handbook will also be included to indicate what changes have been made.
What’s new
Changes to the handbook include:
- A reference has been removed from section B.3. (“Anti-Harassment Policy”) related to the deadline for filing harassment complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
- Language has been added to section B.4. (“Reasonable Accommodations”) related to an employee’s sincerely held religious observances, practices, and beliefs.
- Section B.6. (“Weapons Policy”) includes language allowing employees with valid concealed weapons licenses being allowed to keep concealed weapons in their privately owned vehicles even while the vehicle is in the credit union parking lot or the employee is using the vehicle for credit union business. That language used to be part of an optional exception to a credit union’s “no weapons” policy, but it is no longer optional.
- Language has been added to section B.7. (Confidentiality/Privacy of Member and Credit Union Information”) to clarify that the policy “will not be applied or enforced in any way that would restrict, infringe upon, or otherwise limit an employee’s rights to engage in protected concerted activity under federal or state law …”
- A reference has been deleted from section B.14. (“Social Media”) that prohibited employees from disclosing information on social media that would be “slanderous or detrimental” to the credit union.
- Clauses have been added to section C.3. (“Work Day/Lunch Periods/Breaks”) related to nursing employees. (For more information, see this June 2023 Compliance Courier titled, “Federal laws protect pregnant & nursing employees.”
Employee handbook background
The handbook is available for purchase via The League’s online “credit union forms” page. The initial purchase price is $300, with a $100 annual subscription fee thereafter.
A sample of the 2025 version of the handbook is available to give you an idea of its contents. Section-by-section instructions are provided with the handbook, and they have been revised to reflect the latest changes.
A few notes about the handbook:
- It is to be used only by Wisconsin credit unions with fewer than 50 employees. (Count all employees on the credit union’s payroll, including full-time employees, part-time employees, suspended employees, and employees on leave.) Larger credit unions may be subject to certain legal requirements that this handbook does not address.
- Credit unions with 50 or more employees may, however, consider whether to use the handbook as a starting point for drafting their own employee handbook – with the guidance of their own employment law attorney to ensure that they address all relevant legal requirements.
- It is not designed for use by credit unions with unionized employees.
- It is not designed to address other states’ laws. If the credit union has employees in states other than Wisconsin, it should consult counsel licensed in those other states about adapting the language in this handbook to suit its needs.
- It is designed so that credit unions can complete and customize key provisions on their own. In many sections, you’ll see optional language to choose from, blanks that must be completed, and/or information that you are asked to add. The handbook is provided in Microsoft Word so that credit unions can easily edit the text as needed.
- To help each credit union navigate, edit, and customize its handbook, some of the language is color-coded. For example, optional language appears in orange, examples are provided in purple, and so on. The instructions explain the color-coding system.
Please reach out to Paul Guttormsson at The League with questions about the updated employee handbook.
Compliance Roundtable – September 10 (In-Person)
Join The League’s compliance team as they lead a discussion on the latest changes in regulations and need to know information to keep your credit union in compliance. You can find more information or register on our website.