Standing orders are the formal, certified rules of employment, covering classification of workers, working hours, leave, conduct and disciplinary and termination procedure, that certain establishments must define and display.

The threshold, and what makes them legally binding

Originally required at 100 or more workmen under the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, that threshold has been raised to 300 under the newer Industrial Relations Code, 2020, which absorbed the older Act. What makes standing orders different from an ordinary employee handbook is certification: they’re formally reviewed and certified by a government-appointed Certifying Officer and carry statutory legal force, disputes over them go to labour courts, whereas an internal HR handbook is a unilateral company document without that same legal standing. As with the rest of the labour codes, state-level rules and certifying-officer mechanics were still transitioning through 2026 as this threshold change took effect.

Frequently asked questions

Is a standing order the same as an employee handbook?

No, standing orders are certified, legally binding rules with statutory force. A handbook is an internal company document without the same certification or legal weight.

Does the 300-worker threshold apply immediately everywhere?

It applies as the Industrial Relations Code’s state rules complete their rollout, verify your specific state’s current status rather than assuming a uniform national date.

What happens below the 300-worker threshold?

Standing orders aren’t mandatory, though many companies still adopt similar formal policies voluntarily for consistency and clarity.

See what an employee handbook should cover for the non-statutory equivalent smaller companies typically use, and the Industrial Relations Code this now sits inside.