The Importance of Maintaining a Healthy Workplace

With regular self-inspections, organizations can stay out of legal trouble and improve policies and practices.

Few people relish going to dental checkups, but those cleanings can help stave off a painful root canal procedure. Similarly, regular HR audits can help minimize potentially painful legal risks and offer opportunities to improve HR policies and practices.

Risky Business

Focus first on any practice that can harm the business if it’s not done correctly, recommends Priscilla Tomestic, SHRM-CP, HR compliance manager for a branch office of Aspen Air Conditioning in Boca Raton, Fla.

An HR compliance audit can help ensure that HR practices abide by the multitude of frequently changing laws and regulations. The compliance audit generally has two parts: an evaluation of the organization’s HR policies, practices and processes, and a review of current HR data. Indicators of potential problems include internal grievances filed, pending legal complaints, and turnover and absenteeism rates.

• Most lawsuits can be traced to issues related to hiring, performance management, employee discipline or termination. Other high-risk areas include:

• Misclassification of exempt and nonexempt jobs.

• Inadequately maintained personnel files.

• Prohibited attendance policies.

• Inaccurate wage and hour or time records.

• Form I-9 errors.

• Outdated federal and state labor and employment law posters.

• Insufficient record retention.

The best audits are the ones you control, the worst are those prompted by a dreaded letter from a government agency.

If you need assistance with annual or semi annual audits, please contact NEP, we are happy to assist.

(713) 914-8045

nep@nuenergypay.com

Source: SHRM