HR: Know Immediately When Employment Laws Change
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
(Editor’s Note: Today’s article is brought to you by our friends at HRdirect, a trusted source for employee-related compliance, administration, and motivation tools. They serve as a one-stop shop to make employee management easier. Enjoy the read!)
I recently posted a list of federal law changes that require new poster updates. Those federal laws are the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). Of course, in mentioning these federal laws, this doesn’t include any state or local labor law changes.
But it got me thinking. I’m sure there are some organizations that might be saying, “Wouldn’t it be great if we had a way to know about labor law changes sooner?”. The faster organizations become aware of changes in legislation, the faster they can put a compliance plan in place. While I mentioned labor law posting changes, some law changes might require additional updates to policies, job applications, and handbooks. Or maybe require employee handouts.
Being able to take a more proactive approach to compliance can also reduce any liability (i.e., fines and penalties) for non-compliance. And it shows everyone that the organization places an emphasis on following the law.
Well, our friends at HRdirect have introduced a new Employment Law Alert Service. This is an annual subscription service that will keep your organization informed of recent employment law changes on a federal, state, county, and city level. Here’s how it works:
HRdirect’s expert legal team will monitor employment-related legislative activity around the U.S. including over 20,000 agencies. The types of employment-related legislation that will be monitored include:
- Minimum wage, equal pay, and salary history;
- Discrimination and harassment;
- FMLA, sick pay, bereavement, meal breaks, and rest periods;
- OSHA, safety, and smoking in the workplace;
- And many others.
When there’s a change, you’ll receive an attorney reviewed and approved email alert. The email will summarize the law – in plain language – and provide a link to the full text of the legislation for reference. It will also offer some guidance on how to comply with the new or updated law.
This alert service positions the organization to quickly understand the change and immediately make compliance decisions. In addition to the email alerts, subscribers will have access to a database of recent alerts with suggested next steps.
The good news is that right now, HRdirect is offering a two-month FREE trial. And the even better news is that you don’t have to put a credit card on file to sign up. After the free trial, you will receive a $30 discount on an annual subscription. Honestly, that’s a great deal. And since you don’t have to put a credit card on file … you have nothing to lose by testing it out. There are three things I really like about this service.
- As an HR professional, I can feel comfortable that legal professionals are watching out for legislation that impacts my organization. That’s time I can spend doing other things like recruiting and training.
- At the point there’s a new law or a change, I have a summary and some talking points that I can share with my team and senior management team. We can strategize on the right next step for our organization and workforce.
- Lastly, I can use the database to conduct a mini-audit and make sure my company remains in compliance. Great project for wrapping up the fiscal year. We can start the new year knowing we’re doing all the right things.
Compliance is an important part of our role as human resources professionals, but it doesn’t have to be the only thing we do. Finding partners who can help us maintain compliance just makes good business sense.
I hope you’ll check out the new Employment Law Alert Service that HRdirect is offering and take advantage of the free trial. It’s a great opportunity to stay compliant, make your work easier, and provide greater value to the organization.
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