Under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, an employer of an industrial establishment to which Chapter X (Standing Orders) applies is required to prepare draft standing orders and submit them to the certifying officer. Chapter X relating to standing orders applies to every industrial establishment wherein the number of workers employed, on any day in the preceding twelve months, was:

Section 28 of the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 provides that the provisions of Chapter X relating to standing orders apply to every industrial establishment wherein 300 or more workers are, or were, employed on any day in the preceding twelve months. Under Section 29, the employer of such an establishment must prepare draft standing orders within six months of the Code's applicability, based on the Central Government's model standing orders, and submit them to the certifying officer. This threshold marks a significant change from the earlier Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, which applied to establishments with 100 or more workers. The appropriate Government may, however, apply these provisions to establishments with fewer workers by notification. Standing orders define the conditions of employment, such as classification of workers, hours, leave, and disciplinary procedures.