HR compliance with the ever-changing state employment laws can be difficult but necessary for an organization to grow and achieve its objectives.

HR regulatory compliance ensures that the company treats its employees fairly and legally to avoid those expensive legal suits or even jail terms for senior management.

So, from minimum wage to new health insurance regulations, below is a checklist of five compliance issues to implement in HR policies and strategies.

What is HR compliance?

HR and legal compliance are inseparable. That’s because any organization must adhere to the employment laws and regulations of the state. To achieve this, the HR department must take proactive measures by making policies and strategies for the day-to-day running of the organization.

For example, the HR leader is responsible for making fair recruitment policies, ensuring timely payment of staff, preventing workplace discrimination, among others.

5 Current HR Compliance Issues to Know

Employee wellness and wellbeing

Today, employers are becoming more proactive rather than reactive to employee mental and physical wellbeing. This is ensured by offering health insurance packages and employee assistance programs.

Although it might sound expensive, the right partnership can make it affordably available to your workplace. So for more productivity, this is something that you should add to employees.

Minimum wage

Another critical and ever-changing area of employment laws is the minimum wage. The FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) is the federal law that regulates the minimum wage, overtime, and employment age.

That said, making even the slightest of mistakes on the employee attendance sheet or payroll can impact the employee financially. That can result in lawsuit damages where you have to pay millions in compensation fees. Therefore, regularly review and change your payment policies.

Workplace harassment

HR compliance with workplace harassment policy can be tricky even for the most experienced HR professionals. That can be down to the sweeping societal changes such as the #MeToo movement that has resulted in increased workplace sexual harassment. The HR leader should set up strict policies against behavioral harassment.

Privacy/Security

Your employee’s private information should be safeguarded as much as their health and safety. Today, cyberattacks are common, so it’s vital to make data security everyone’s responsibility.

To curb this problem, the HR leader can make policies requiring employees to log out of browsers when leaving work, resist using SSN as the identifier, and more.

Family leave

The FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) stipulates that individual employees can get up to four months of job-protected, unpaid leave per year. It also ensures that they keep on enjoying their health benefits during that period.

In essence, family leave is supposed to help employees find the right balance between family and work responsibilities.

Conclusion

Adhering to these five HR compliance requirements will not only prevent the expensive legal battles but ensure that the organization becomes more efficient and productive. Always remember that meeting your legal obligations can attract and keep top talent in your organization.