Work Time Flexibility Need Not Complicate Compliance

Working through the holidays isn’t fun. And, we have all had to do it at one time or other. Whether being on duty to keep essential services working, or engaged in the retail, dining, and hospitality industries, a large part of the workforce does not get much of a break during the holidays. Many others need flexibility with their work schedules to accommodate personal lives and family commitments.

For managers, it is often a juggling act to maintain essential staffing levels during holidays. They may not have enough visibility into staffing levels and time off requests, causing confusion and compliance issues to boot.

In San Francisco, a new Retail Workers Bill of Rights now requires businesses with over 11 employees engaged in retail sales or services to offer existing part time workers additional work hours before they can hire a new employee. The new regulations also require compensation in the form of “predictability pay” towards an employee in case an employer changes his or her work schedule with less than a week’s notice.

With regulations such as these, along with new mandatory sick leave policies being introduced in several states and cities, it’s a challenge for managers and HR staff to ensure compliance with stringent Federal and State regulations. It’s not surprising that many leading businesses and other organizations are now adopting automated workforce tracking solutions to efficiently stay in compliance.

How a workforce tracking system can promote compliance:

• Built in with compliance and regional time off policies to eliminate guesswork
• User friendly browser or mobile access for employees and managers
• Automatic calculation of time off accruals
• Real time balance information
• Easy configuration of reports and approval paths
• Email or SMS alerts to ensure prompt time and time off entries

Not every workforce tracking system has these essential features. Look for systems that are cloud-based and easy to adopt and use. Replicon’s built in Adaptive Compliance Library keeps track of regional work rules to keep issues at bay—without expensive customization. Organizations can now weave compliance into their everyday operations, even if they operate in cities and states with stringent new time off regulations, and avoid litigation and adverse publicity as a result.