Master HR management with this formula for success
If you’re a Human Resources (HR) manager in today’s workforce, you carry a heavy load – and yet so many employees don’t really know what HR managers actually do. Not only must you recruit top talent, onboard new employees in a timely, efficient manner, and foster a corporate culture of respect and tolerance, but you also have a huge compliance burden to carry for your organization. For an Optimal HR Performance in 2019, you really need to be able to juggle compliance & employee management.
Classifying employee status incorrectly, violating labor laws, or not providing health insurance options are just a sampling of what could create a financial liability for your organization. To succeed in your job requires that you constantly refresh your understanding of employment law, and simultaneously enhance and update your employee management skills, using educational resources like AudioSolutionz
HR Management Responsibilities & Compliance
As an HR manager, you’ve got to be a people person. According to The Balance Careers, the HR manager is responsible for all of the functions that deal with the needs and activities of the organization’s people, including these areas of responsibility:
- Recruiting;
- Hiring;
- Training;
- Organization development;
- Communication;
- Performance management;
- Coaching;
- Policy recommendation;
- Salary and benefits;
- Team building;
- Employee relations; and
- Leadership.
And that’s just the relational aspect of your job. Compliance with the following federal laws is mandatory for most U.S. employers:
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which covers wage and hour standards for workers in the private and public sectors;
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides for unpaid, job-protected leave, and continued group health insurance coverage for certain family and medical reasons;
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, and other contexts;
- Affordable Care Act (ACA), the 2010 health care reform law that requires employers to provide health insurance to their employees, among other things;
- Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), which forbids employment discrimination based on pregnancy;
- Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), the federal law that allows workers to choose to continue group health benefits in certain circumstances when they leave a job;
- Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), which prohibits employers from using genetic information in making employment decisions, and from requesting or disclosing such information; and
- Equal Pay Act, which requires equal pay for men and women for equal work.
Ease Your Compliance Burden In 8 Steps
You must have compliance on your mind when you’re adding employees to your payroll, fostering a healthy, tolerant work environment, managing employee leave, and communicating corporate policies. Creative Business Resources (CBR) offers eight tips to follow to remain compliant with HR laws:
1) Know the law. Familiarize yourself with state and federal labor laws to ensure that your business practices don’t violate employees’ rights.
2) Recruit lawfully. Certain personal information—such as race, religion, age, and ethnicity—is protected by federal, state, and local laws. Minimize the risk of asking for prohibited information by carefully planning interview questions in advance.
3) Confirm employee eligibility. You must verify that potential hires legally reside in the United States, via an I-9, or the Employee Eligibility Verification Form. Be careful: Asking for more documentation than specified on the I-9 may subject the employer to liability for discrimination.
4) Post the requisite workplace notices. State and federal laws require businesses to post several notices detailing labor laws. You can obtain these at no cost from the U.S. Department of Labor or state agencies.
5) Properly report new hires. Under federal law, all employers must report that they have hired a new worker to their designated state agencies within 20 days of the hire date.
6) Ensure payroll compliance. Your state or local jurisdiction might have an established minimum wage that trumps the federal. You also must know which employees are eligible for overtime and when.
7) Provide harassment and discrimination training. Train managers on how to avoid and handle situations involving harassment and discrimination to reduce the risk of lawsuits.
8) Publish and circulate an employee handbook. A handbook provides a clear set of rules, expectations, and guidelines for employees and serves as a point of reference should a dispute occur.
Get The HR Training You Need
While the employee relations and compliance aspects of your job may seem like separate entities, in many ways they are woven together. For example, you can’t recruit employees without a close eye on discrimination laws, and you will need outstanding communication skills to provide harassment training to your employees.
Additional Reading
(This post first appeared in a ProfEd blog)
By Amy P on 5th June 2018
