Standing orders under the Industrial Relations Code: a guide

Standing orders are the certified rules of employment for workers in an industrial establishment: classification, working hours, attendance, leave, termination, misconduct and grievance redressal. Under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, in force since 21 November 2025, they are required for industrial establishments with 300 or more workers, or a lower number the appropriate government notifies. Where an employer has not got its own standing orders certified, the model standing orders notified by the government apply.

This guide covers who must have standing orders, what they contain, how certification works and how they sit alongside your HR policies. For the handbook side, see our guide to the employee handbook and HR policies in India, and for the wider set of changes, our summary of the four labour codes.

What are standing orders?

Standing orders are a statutory instrument. They codify the conditions of service of workers so that both sides know the rules before a dispute arises. Unlike an HR policy, which the employer can usually amend with notice, certified standing orders are settled through a statutory process involving a certifying officer and the workers' representatives, and they bind both employer and workers.

The concept is old. The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 required them for establishments with 100 or more workmen, and several states lowered that to 50. The IR Code repealed the 1946 Act and moved the rules into its chapter on standing orders, with a higher threshold.

Which establishments need standing orders under the IR Code?

The chapter applies to every industrial establishment where 300 or more workers are employed, or were employed on any day of the preceding twelve months. The appropriate government can notify a lower number, and some states may do so, so check your state's position.

Three points decide coverage in practice:

• Workers, not employees. "Worker" under the IR Code excludes people employed mainly in a managerial or administrative capacity, and supervisors drawing wages above ₹18,000 a month (or a higher notified amount). Count only workers.
• Any day in twelve months. A seasonal peak counts. If you touched 300 on one day last Diwali, you are covered.
• Per establishment. The count is per industrial establishment, not per company. A company with five plants of 150 workers each may have no establishment that crosses the line.

Worked example: is the plant covered?

A pharmaceutical plant has 460 people on its rolls:

Category	Headcount	Counted as workers?
Plant head, department heads, HR and finance managers	38	No, managerial or administrative
Shift supervisors drawing more than ₹18,000 a month	52	No, supervisory above the wage limit
Supervisors drawing ₹18,000 or less	6	Yes
Operators, technicians, QC analysts, stores and clerical staff	364	Yes

Workers: 6 + 364 = 370. The plant crosses 300 and needs standing orders. Note that a supervisor's classification follows actual duties and wages; a "senior executive" who in fact operates machines is a worker.

The IR Code's definition of industry is broad, so offices, IT and services establishments can be industrial establishments too. Some states had exempted specific sectors, such as IT, from the 1946 Act; whether and how such exemptions carry forward under the Code is a state-level question to verify.

What are model standing orders?

The Central Government prepares model standing orders on the matters the Code lists, and states can do the same for their establishments. Separate versions by sector, such as manufacturing, mining and services, have been published. An employer can adopt the model standing orders, adapt them to its operations, or draft its own in conformity with them.

If an employer covered by the Code does not get its own standing orders certified, the model standing orders apply. That default is often worse for the employer than a tailored version, because the model text cannot reflect your shift patterns, misconduct categories or attendance rules.

What matters do standing orders cover?

The Code lists the matters in a schedule. Paraphrased:

Matter	What to write
Classification of workers	Permanent, temporary, probationer, badli, apprentice, fixed-term and any others
Hours of work, holidays, paydays and wage rates	How workers are told, and where it is displayed
Shift working	Shifts, rotation and change notice
Attendance and late coming	Recording method, grace and consequences; see our late coming policy guide
Leave and holidays	Conditions, procedure and sanctioning authority
Entry and search	Gates for entry and liability to search
Stoppages	Closing and reopening sections, temporary stoppages, rights and liabilities
Termination	Notice to be given by employer and worker
Suspension and dismissal	Acts and omissions that are misconduct, and the procedure; see disciplinary action and domestic enquiry
Redressal	How workers raise complaints of unfair treatment or wrongful exactions
Other matters	Anything the government prescribes

Draft each matter so a line supervisor can apply it without legal help. Vague misconduct lists ("any act subversive of discipline") are the first thing challenged in a dismissal case.

How are standing orders certified under the IR Code?

The broad sequence is below. Exact timelines, forms and the electronic process come from the rules that apply to you, so verify each step.

Step	What happens	Typical timing under the Code
1. Draft	Employer prepares draft standing orders on the scheduled matters, in conformity with the model	Within six months of becoming covered
2. Submit	Draft sent to the certifying officer, electronically or otherwise, with prescribed details	With the draft
3. Consult	Certifying officer consults the negotiating union or council, or workers' representatives	During review
4. Decide	Certifying officer certifies, with or without modifications	Within 60 days of receipt; if not decided in time, the draft is treated as certified
5. Appeal	An aggrieved party may appeal to the appellate authority	Within the period prescribed
6. Publish	Certified standing orders displayed in English and the language of the majority of workers	On certification

Standing orders certified under the 1946 Act do not vanish overnight. The usual reading is that they continue to the extent consistent with the Code, but review them against the Code's schedule and the new model, and recertify where the content has drifted.

How do standing orders interact with the employee handbook?

Standing orders govern workers on the scheduled matters. The handbook governs everyone on everything else, and managers and staff outside the "worker" definition on everything. Where they overlap, the certified standing orders prevail for workers. Our handbook guide has a side-by-side comparison; the practical rules are:

• Write the handbook's attendance, leave, termination and discipline sections so they never contradict the standing orders.
• Refer workers to the standing orders on those topics instead of restating them.
• Change both together. A handbook update on late coming that the standing orders do not support is unenforceable against workers.

Can standing orders be changed?

Yes, through the same certification route. Changes to conditions of service on matters listed in the IR Code's schedule on notice of change also need a notice to affected workers, and the change cannot take effect within 21 days of that notice. A settlement with the union can also change terms. Never amend standing orders by circular.

Common mistakes

• Counting total headcount instead of workers when testing the 300 threshold.
• Ignoring a seasonal peak that crossed 300 in the last twelve months.
• Leaving 1946 Act standing orders untouched for decades while practice moved on.
• Running a handbook whose leave or attendance rules contradict the standing orders.
• Displaying standing orders only in English on a shop floor where most workers read Hindi or a regional language.
• Changing a scheduled matter by email without the notice of change.

FAQs

What is the applicability of standing orders under the IR Code? Industrial establishments with 300 or more workers on any day of the preceding twelve months, or a lower number the appropriate government notifies.

Are model standing orders mandatory? They apply by default where an employer has not got its own standing orders certified. An employer can adopt them as they are or certify a version in conformity with them.

Do standing orders apply to managers? No. They govern workers. Managerial and administrative staff, and supervisors above the wage limit, are covered by their contracts and HR policies.

Is an IT company required to have standing orders? Possibly. Coverage depends on whether the establishment is an industrial establishment, how many workers it has, and any state exemption. Check the state position.

How long does certification take? The Code gives the certifying officer 60 days from receipt, after which the draft is treated as certified. State rules govern the detailed process.

How NeevHR helps

NeevHR documents publish standing orders and policies in a policy library that employees read and acknowledge, with acknowledgement status reported by department. Employee records hold employment types and grades on an effective-dated timeline, so you can count workers per establishment, and attendance and leave rules are configured by group to match what the standing orders say. To see the policy library in action, book a demo.

This article provides general information for educational purposes. Statutory rules, thresholds, rates and filing requirements may change; verify with the relevant authority or a qualified professional. Last reviewed: 27 Oct 2026.