Compliance: It's a big deal. Human resources professionals appear to be aware of its importance, but many aren't sure whether their employer is doing what it needs to keep up with state and federal regulations. And a sizeable portion of respondents are sure that their employer is not in compliance.
That's the takeaway from a survey conducted by Replicon, a company that provides online timesheet software, of attendees of the Human Resources Technology Conference that took place in Las Vegas last month.
Of the 124 HR professionals surveyed at the conference, 17 percent reported that their company had not been in compliance with wage and work hour rules in the past year. It's not clear whether those who are aware that their companies are breaking the rules expect their employer to suffer any legal consequences.
Many other HR folks appear to be in the dark. Thirty-seven percent of respondents either don't know how compliant their organization is or believe it could use some improvement.
Similarly, 67 percent of respondents said their organization has not conducted a compliance audit in the past year. That response is particularly troublesome, noted Replicon, since nearly half of those surveyed said that compliance was one of their responsibilities.
A likely change to overtime rules will make it more important for HR managers to regularly assess whether employees are getting paid the wages they're entitled to. The new rule, which a top official from the Department of Labor said will likely be put in place toward the end of 2016, would more than double the minimum salary required for an employee to be exempt from mandatory extra pay for overtime hours.
Currently, employers are not required to pay salaried workers making more than $23,660 for overtime hours. The proposed rule would raise the threshold to $50,440, although it’s possible the department will revise the threshold in the coming months.
"Conducting a compliance audit on a regular basis — at least every 12 months — is important to ensure that your company is vigilant against wage and hour regulations," said Jose Gaona, vice president of product strategy at Replicon.
While the Society for Human Resource Management has vehemently opposed the proposed rule change, the HR pros responding to the Replicon survey did not appear to be too worried about it. Only 20 percent of respondents said they felt uncertain or unprepared to respond to any legal changes regarding wages and work hours.
Original Source: BenefitsPro
