expand

Federal

Author: Scott Warrick, Scott Warrick Consulting and Employment Law Services

Summary

  • An employee's lifecycle with the employer can be broken down into six distinct phases. See Employee Lifecycle Management.
  • HR - as change agent, employer advocate and employee spokesperson - is a vital part of the employer's overall strategies for growth, risk prevention and risk management. See HR as a Strategic Partner.
  • The most effective work rules strike a balance between the need to set clear standards and the employer's need to freely make business decisions. See Developing Work Rules.
  • After carefully reviewing the work rules and agreeing with senior managers and employer's legal counsel regarding the scope, it is important for employers to effectively communicate the work rules to employees. See Implementing and Distributing Work Rules.
  • HR professionals should not wait for a letter from the Department of Labor (DOL) before making sure their recordkeeping and business practices are legally compliant. See Wage and Hour and Internal HR Audits.
  • Employment practices liability insurance coverage insures employers against financial costs associated with losing employment-related lawsuits, including attorney fees, settlements and judgments. See Employment Practices Liability Insurance.
  • When HR professionals are unsure where a document belongs, the document generally finds its way into the employee's personnel file. That may be a mistake. See Employee Records.
  • HR is primarily responsible for ensuring employers keep records for time periods prescribed by statutes, regulations and other applicable legal requirements. Difficulty managing that process arises when record retention requirements implicate several statutes, regulations and other applicable legal requirements. See Record Retention.
  • HR is responsible for ensuring the employer posts required notices and that notices are posted in accordance with applicable statutes and are updated, as needed. See Required Federal Postings.

State Requirements

The following states have additional requirements for this topic under applicable state law.