Ensuring The Success Of Your Organization’s Human Resources ComplianceWhere Human Resources Compliance is concerned, the days of “Do your best and everything will be okay,” are behind us. Nowadays, sexual harassment and anti-discrimination laws, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and OSHA are at the forefront of HR professionals’ minds. And for good reason; these areas are hot buttons when it comes to compliance with regulatory standards. Like it or not, by the time a business becomes large enough to have a single employee, that business must care about compliance. Successful companies develop processes that include education, training and communication within the HR office and organization. Once your own policies are in place, you’ll be on your way to ensuring your practices comply with regulations. Educate yourself on the laws that affect your business. With so many potential concerns, it can be confusing to determine which laws actually apply to you. Factors such as numbers of employees, locations, and organization income play a role in determining which laws apply. Regulations are mandated at the local, state and federal level; one of your best sources of accurate, current data is the Internet. Regulating bodies know the value of maintaining their online presence and you benefit by this resource as you work to keep yourself informed. It’s also vital that you train your employees not only on the basics of these expectations, but also that you keep them informed as regulations are updated. Your own organizational website will be an invaluable resource for conveying this information, and any established publications, whether employee handbooks or policy manuals, will also serve your internal educational needs. Rely, too, on the effectiveness of your management teams’ ability to reinforce this training. Well-trained managers are among your best resources for delivering accurate compliance-related information. Once you and your employees understand the applicable laws, you must communicate regularly concerning these expectations. You need policies of adherence, and your employees will respond to thorough and effective communications of those policies. Like it or not, there will be instances in which expectations are breached. Those breaches must be handled efficiently and effectively, and by doing so, you will help to establish stronger expectations of compliance. Effective communication also means that you keep your doors open so that employees are sharing understanding and concerns with you. Quality listening will make your HR office a much more valuable participant in the compliance process, and the likelihood of your meeting the standards that have been set up will be higher. Discussions of compliance often trigger adverse reactions. It’s part of the human condition that most people don’t care much for being told what to do. The fact is, however, that we don’t really get to choose whether or not we have to do something. Laws are in place for the safety, comfort and health of our organization and its employees. Successful education, training and communication concerning those laws will further ensure those healthy environments we desire. Even when those healthy outcomes are driven by a word like “compliance.” |