New Year Brings Lots of Compliance Issues for HR Professionals
I don't think it's going out on a limb to suggest that 2009 brings about some of the broadest changes to employment laws in the United States this decade. So
me changes are already known, while others are forecasted to occur.
Michael Moore, over at the Pennsylvania Labor & Employment Blog, has an excellent post from earlier this week, that details five items that should be added to an HR professional's "To Do" list for the first quarter of 2009.
- ADA Amendments Act Compliance (effective 1/1/2009);
- E-Verify Registration and Immigration Compliance (effective 1/15/2009);
- FMLA Regulations Implementation (effective 1/16/2009) which require action by employers in the following areas:
- Reviewing the regulatory changes and integrate them into your compliance program.
- Using the new forms and poster.
- Revising Employee Handbook provisions;
- EFCA and RESPECT Act Planning; and
- Wage & Hour Self-Audit: As evidenced by Wal-Marts recent record settlement, wage and hour lawsuits will play prominently in 2009. A self-audit of compliance practices can mitigate these claims.
This list strikes me as a good place to start for many employers. There's going to be plenty of changes on the way but making sure that your FMLA and ADA policies and procedures are in compliance with the new laws and regulations should be a priority for most companies.
I've covered these topics in more detail in various posts, so use the "search" function to the left to find the topic that best suits your needs.
