Regulatory Issues

HR departments are generally tasked with making sure the business complies with federal health, safety, wage, benefits, non-discrimination and other worker’s rights regulations. Companies need to operate within a number of regulations including the Fair Labor Standards, Occupational Safety and Health ,Employee Retirement Income Security, … Keep Reading → Family and Medical Leave, Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification and Immigration and Nationality Act. Plain language guides explaining these are available from the Small Business Administration and US Department of Labor. Minimum wage rates and overtime pay requirements are closely monitored. Child labor laws affect many agricultural industries in particular. Employees who report non-compliant companies are protected under whistle blower regulations. Union officers and organizers rights are also protected. In recent years non-US citizen workers have come under scrutiny from the INS and need to have I-9, H1, H2, E3, and D1 visa clearance as proof of their legal entry into the US. Read more about these complex regulatory issues in this Hub.