AirMason + Gusto

Gusto's handbook builder works well for small businesses creating their first employee handbook. If you have a single location, fewer than 50 employees, and need basic state-level policies, Gusto's templates can get you started.

The limitations appear as your organization grows. When you operate in multiple states or cities with their own employment laws, Gusto's state-level templates may not cover the local requirements. When you want your handbook to reflect your brand with custom design, embedded video, and interactive elements, Gusto's template system is restrictive. When you need to know not just whether an employee signed off, but which sections they actually read, Gusto's analytics fall short.

AirMason is built for these needs. You do not have to abandon Gusto to use it. You keep Gusto for payroll and benefits, and add AirMason for the handbook experience your team deserves.

Gusto's handbook builder generates policies based on state-level employment law. This is a good foundation, but it misses a growing layer of regulation: city and county-level employment ordinances.

Cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles have their own requirements for paid sick leave, fair scheduling, pay transparency, anti-harassment training, and more. These requirements often go beyond what state law mandates. A handbook that only addresses state-level policies may leave your business exposed in these jurisdictions.

AirMason monitors legislative changes at all three levels: federal, state, and city. When a new ordinance passes in a city where you have employees, AirMason flags the affected handbook sections and provides guidance on what to update. For Gusto customers with employees in regulated cities, this is the compliance layer Gusto's handbook does not provide.

A handbook is one of the first documents a new employee interacts with. It sets expectations, communicates culture, and establishes the employment relationship. The design and presentation of that document matters more than most HR teams realize.

Gusto's handbook builder produces functional documents, but they look like Gusto templates. Every company using the tool ends up with a similar-looking handbook. For businesses that invest in their employer brand, this is a missed opportunity.

AirMason gives you full control over your handbook's design. You can match your brand colors, add custom layouts, embed welcome videos from your CEO, include interactive elements, and create a mobile-responsive experience. AirMason also offers a professional design team that will build your handbook for you, turning a compliance document into something employees remember.

AirMason and Gusto's built-in handbook builder are not mutually exclusive. Some Gusto customers use the built-in tool for quick policy generation and then import that content into AirMason for design, distribution, and tracking. Others start fresh in AirMason and use Gusto solely for payroll and benefits.

The integration between the two platforms keeps employee data in sync regardless of which approach you choose. Gusto remains your system of record for employee information, and AirMason uses that data to ensure the right people get the right handbook at the right time.

For companies planning to scale beyond Gusto eventually, AirMason provides additional flexibility. Because AirMason integrates with all major HRIS platforms, your handbook setup moves with you regardless of which HR system you choose next. Your compliance history, acknowledgment records, and handbook content are preserved even if your HRIS changes.