What is compliance training?
Understanding complex employment laws and keeping up with changes can be overwhelming for most employers. Compliance training is a process that heightens the awareness of employers and employees in regard to understanding how various laws and regulations apply to their company.
Compliance Issues are Oftentimes Complex
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) alone has over 180 laws and regulations that apply to employers. Understanding the laws and keeping abreast of changes can be a daunting task for many. Most employers are well-intentioned, but the unawareness of certain laws does not excuse employers from compliance. The best practice is for employers to work with someone who understands which laws and regulations are applicable to their company. Factors to consider include, but are not limited to: the number of employees; the state in which the employees reside; and specific industry requirements.
Why Spend Time on Compliance Training?
Both employers and employees benefit from compliance training. Benefits include, but are not limited to the following:
- anticipated reduction in liability exposure from potential litigation;
- increased employee understanding of what is required and expected;
- increased employee productivity and morale;
- increased supervisors and managers ability to enhance a professional work environment; and
- increased confidence when handling issues.
The following lists the most commonly requested compliance training workshops:
- Discrimination and Harassment Prevention: preventing workplace discrimination, harassment & retaliation
- Ethics and Code of Conduct: insider trading, SOX directives, conflicts of interest, etc.
- Employment Law---the Legal Landscape: understanding laws & regulations that apply to an employer
- Lawful Interview and Selection Practices: lawful interview questions, selecting the most qualified candidate, background checks, etc.
- Lawful Terminations: documentation that will protect your company, disciplinary process, layoffs, consistent practices
- Wage and Hour: basic laws, both federal and state (see “Note:” below)
- Workplace Diversity: avoid unlawful discrimination by valuing workplace differences
- HR Best Practices: coaching, counseling, performance evaluations
- Workplace Violence: recognizing and identifying signs leading up to acts of violence
Note: Employers should be aware that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released results from a Department of Labor study. According to this study, the DOL is missing the enforcement mark; in other words, they are not doing a very good job of enforcing wage and hour laws. In the past 10 years, enforcement levels dropped by one third. In addition, lawsuits relating to wage and hour disputes are on the rise and expected to increase even more as class-action lawsuit settlements are exploding and attracting national attention.
In future “Insight” posts, you can expect to learn more about supervisory and management compliance training needs in these critical areas. Employers need to make sure that their supervisors and managers have the tools and training necessary to excel in their roles when managing employees.
Legal Disclaimer
The information contained in this document is for general, informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. This information is not a substitute for the guidance of a professional and should not be relied upon in reference to any specific situation without first seeking the advice of a qualified HR professional and/or legal counsel regarding applicable federal, state or local laws. HRTools, Insperity and their respective employees make no warranties, express or implied, and make no judgments regarding the accuracy of this content and/or its applicability to a specific situation. A reference or link to another website is not an endorsement of that site or service.