Ensuring HR compliance is an essential aspect of managing a business, involving individuals at every level, from senior management and supervisors to entry-level employees.
Given that the responsibility to be HR compliant is distributed across various roles, how can you effectively achieve it? What measures can be implemented to prioritise HR compliance throughout your organisation?
To answer these questions, we spoke to Reality HR, an independent HR consultancy who specialise in keeping UK businesses HR compliant. They were kind enough to share their top 5 tips for instilling best practice HR compliance in the workplace:
- Address your legal obligations as a priority
When it comes to HR compliance, your legal responsibilities as an employer are non-negotiable. Neglecting these fundamental aspects can lead to serious consequences, making it crucial for anyone focused on HR compliance to start here.
For UK employers, the legal requirements include having a disciplinary and dismissal policy, a grievance policy, and a health and safety policy. Alongside obtaining Employer’s Liability Insurance that is mandated by law. Therefore, for small businesses embarking on their journey, we strongly advise prioritising compliance in these four essential areas.
- Establish a well-defined HR framework
One of the best ways of ensuring HR compliance is through providing a clear set of policies. These policies should articulate your organisation’s position on crucial matters such as absence, diversity and inclusion, and GDPR.
Include clear guidelines within these policies, outlining the steps individuals need to take to be compliant. It is essential to have these policies easily accessible to all employees, fostering awareness of the compliance requirements and the specific role each individual plays.
- Train your employees on HR compliance
Another essential element of HR compliance is employee training. Proactively training your management team is a great way to instil understanding, as well as to cultivate a sense of accountability for HR compliance within your business.
How you approach training is up to you. You could hold face-to-face sessions with a HR representative or invest in online training sessions. Whatever training path you choose, be sure to log who has attended the training and set a deadline for when all employees must complete the course. CPD Accredited courses are a great way to develop your team and their careers over time.
- Conduct regular HR audits
Given the dynamic nature of HR compliance governed by ever-changing laws and regulations, staying ahead of new legislation and guidance is crucial for your organisation to remain compliant. Conducting periodic HR audits is an effective strategy to verify that your HR communications and practices align with the latest standards.
To streamline this process and minimise business disruption, consider outsourcing HR audits to an external HR auditor. Entrusting this responsibility to professionals ensures a thorough examination while minimising business disruption.
- Create a compliance checklist
Navigating the intricate landscape of HR compliance can be difficult when you’re considering the multitude of laws, regulations, and the wellbeing of your employees. Therefore we would recommend developing a compliance checklist.
Condensing the necessary steps for compliance into a straightforward set of actions helps ensure clarity. By providing a clear list, you minimise the likelihood of misunderstandings.
Putting HR compliance into action in your business
In the UK, adhering to HR compliance is imperative, as the legal landscape is stringent, imposing severe penalties on employers who neglect their responsibilities. Even if your business has only hired one paid employee, employment law is applicable, and shortcuts or avoidance can lead to consequences. If HR isn’t your area of expertise, consider seeking guidance from an independent HR consultancy. They can collaborate with you to establish fundamental HR best practices and help to foster a culture of robust HR compliance within your organisation.
