HR policies are often created once and then reused for years. But when labour laws change, even a familiar onboarding, documentation or compliance process can become outdated.

For employers operating in Karnataka, the 2026 changes to the Shops and Commercial Establishments law make it important to review several everyday HR practices.

Are You Still Keeping Original Employee Certificates?

Collecting educational or experience certificates for verification is common during onboarding. Retaining those original documents, however, is now an important compliance issue.

Under the updated law, employers cannot retain an employee’s original educational certificates, experience certificates or other original documents either during appointment or employment.

HR teams should therefore review onboarding checklists and document-verification procedures to ensure originals are returned promptly.

Do You Have a Process for Service Certificate Requests?

Another area that deserves attention is the issuance of service certificates.

Employers are required to issue a service certificate within seven days after receiving an employee’s application. This makes it useful to have a clear internal process for recording requests, verifying employment details and issuing the certificate on time.

Is Your Registration Calendar Still Based on Renewals?

Businesses may also need to update their compliance calendars.

One of the significant changes under the Karnataka Shops and Establishments Amendment Act 2026 is that registration can remain valid until the closure or cessation of the establishment, replacing the earlier periodic renewal framework.

That means businesses should review old reminders and internal SOPs that may still be built around the previous renewal cycle.

Have Your HR Documents Been Updated?

Older appointment letters, HR policies and compliance manuals may still contain references to legislation or procedures that have changed.

It is worth reviewing:

Employee onboarding procedures

Document verification policies

Service certificate processes

Registration and compliance calendars

Night-shift policies

Internal labour-law references

Compliance responsibility matrices

Why Regular Compliance Reviews Matter

Compliance problems do not always happen because a business intentionally ignores the law. Often, they happen because internal processes continue unchanged after legislation is amended.

Periodic reviews help HR and compliance teams identify outdated practices before they become larger issues.

For businesses operating in Karnataka, the 2026 amendment is a useful reminder that HR policies, registration procedures and employee documentation practices should evolve along with regulatory requirements.https://vishaalconsultancy.com/karnataka-shops-establishments-amendment-act-2026/