Start the Year off Right!

The New Year is full of resolutions and one that should always be on Human Resource's radar screen is starting the year off right by ensuring good compliance protocols are in place. The regulatory landscapes are in constant flux but has your organization checked its handbook recently to ensure it complies with the increasing local regulatory frameworks - particularly as they apply to leave laws, minimum wage and overtime laws?  Similarly, now is a good time to ensure your organization's required posters are current. Does your company have the latest EEOC poster that was published in late October 2022?   If you are in Pittsburgh and/or Allegheny County are the required leave law notices posted? Postings should be in a conspicuous place frequented by, and easily accessible to, employees, such as an employee break room. Another action item, as the year starts, is to ensure the mandatory anti-harassment/anti-discrimination training is scheduled for all employees.  This can be an on-line training, computer module or live seminar, depending on the size and complexity of your organization, but it should be part of your organization's yearly HR "housekeeping" function.  If you're in an industry that requires other mandatory trainings, it is an excellent idea to combine these trainings together. Don't forget to obtain an employee acknowledgement that s/he has attended the training. Finally, some resolutions - and employee rules - were meant to be broken. Now, particularly, with the tight labor market is an excellent time to review your workplace rules and policies to determine what might be outdated and, perhaps, having a negative impact on your hiring and retention metrics.