HR compliance can be a nightmare for overwhelmed small business owners. You need buttoned-up HR processes to avoid compliance-related penalties and lawsuits. This takes time—a commodity most business owners don’t have.
Is it possible to streamline your HR processes to stay compliant with federal, state, and local regulations?
Yes. And we’re going to show you how.
| Did You Know? |
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| More than 120 new HR and compliance policies took effect in 2023. |
What does human resources do?
Human resources manages and supports your business’s workforce in all areas from recruitment to legal compliance.
Human resources responsibilities include:
- Policy development
- Recruitment
- Onboarding and training
- Compensation, benefits, and payroll
- Labor law, health and safety, and recordkeeping compliance
- Performance management
- Retention
Keeping up with HR tasks requires a set of processes, skills, and knowledge. Whether you’re a small business owner wearing multiple hats or a seasoned HR professional, you can take steps to simplify and streamline your responsibilities.
How to streamline HR processes
Simplify HR processes to enhance efficiency, improve employee satisfaction, and reduce administrative headaches.
Check out the following seven tips to get started.
Want to keep even more of your time? Use human resources software with HR compliance tools so you can do the following in one convenient location.
1. Use HR templates
HR documents are unavoidable in business. But instead of drafting these from scratch or hiring a lawyer, consider using HR document templates.
Look for reputable sources that offer customizable policies, forms, and letters. For example, you can use a bereavement time off policy template, a non-disclosure statement form, or a salary increase letter.
Depending on what HR solution you use, you can find templates for all HR compliance areas such as:
- Benefits
- Discrimination and Equal Employment
- Hiring
- Time off
- Employee management
- Safety and health (e.g., workplace injury prevention)
- Termination
- Wage and hour
2. Set up personalized alerts for law changes
Federal, state, and local laws are ever-changing. But who has time to scour the news daily or comb through pages of legislation to see what it all means?
Business owners don’t have the time, that’s for sure.
Solo, you may struggle to keep up with changing minimum wage, paid sick time, paid family leave rules, and other law updates.
Instead, set up personalized email alerts for federal, state, and local law changes that impact your business. You can use tools like an HR system with a compliance dashboard to streamline these HR responsibilities.
3. Use a benefits document creator
Benefits are key for recruitment and retention, especially since 81% of employees value them.
Creating an employee benefits package is great. But creating compliant benefits documents can be … not so great for a busy business owner.
Use a benefits document creator to create documents that comply with federal requirements.
For example, you can create benefits documents like:
- Premium only plan (POP) document to comply with IRS requirements
- Wrap summary plan description (SPD) to meet ERISA disclosure requirements
4. Use an employee handbook builder
Your company’s employee handbook is the set of rules and procedures your workforce must follow. Your handbook should detail your code of conduct, employment laws, pay frequency, attendance, time-off policy, benefits, and more.
Creating an employee handbook is a non-negotiable. However, drafting a handbook from scratch can take weeks or even months.
Use an employee handbook builder to simplify and streamline the process. Easily create, manage, and update your company’s compliant employee handbook.
Get access to HR templates, personalized alerts for law changes, an employee handbook builder, and more with Patriot’s HR software.
5. Take advantage of HR resources
HR compliance can be a tricky thing. Take advantage of HR resources like checklists, how-to guides, webinars, and videos for support.
6. Manage paperless files and documents online
There are files galore in HR. Benefits documents, position history, emergency contacts, and your employee handbook are just some of the files you need to store.
Relying on paper files leaves room for disorganization, security concerns, and misplacement. Consider managing paperless files and documents online for increased convenience and access.
7. Generate HR reports
One of your time-consuming human resources tasks is preparing HR reports, like EEO-1 and VETS-4212.
HR reports—a feature in many HR software solutions—simplify required reporting such as:
- New hire reporting
- Retirement plan reporting and disclosure
- Equal employment opportunity reporting
- VETS reporting
Can HR software simplify HR tasks?
Yes!
HR software for small business has the features to streamline HR processes and help you comply with labor laws, recordkeeping requirements, reporting requirements, and more. Other benefits include standardizing procedures and improving onboarding, training, and data management.
Use HR software with the employee management and compliance features like:
- HR reports
- Compliance dashboard
- Employee handbook builder
- HR document templates
- HR resources
- HR compliance library
- Benefit documents creator
- Learning management system
- Law alerts
- HR assessment
You can also take HR assessments to monitor your business strengths and spot potential compliance risks.
