New Workplace Laws Require your Attention

New workplace laws have come into effect that could prove expensive if ignored. Failing to comply with the new laws could earn you civil fines and criminal penalties, not to mention irreversible damage to your company's reputation. Take these five insights into consideration if you want to stay on the right side of the law.

Social Media Policies
Are you a Twitter tyrant? Do you keep everyone under thumb when it comes to your employees' Facebook accounts? If the answer is "yes", you may want to revisit your policy. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)has found that certain employer policies such as those dealing with social media can actually be a violation of employee's rights. Review and write your policies in clear language with special attention given to anything that could be interpreted as interfering with your worker's rights.

Overtime Rule Change
The Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed a new rule to expand those entitled to overtime pay. If this does go into effect, you may have to pay more of your employees for the overtime they work. The alternative would be to increase their salary. This pending law could potentially cost you a lot of money and is definitely a topic to keep an eye on.

Marriage Equality
Same sex couples must now be given the same benefits as heterosexual couples. It is worthwhile to revisit all your policies regarding Equal Employment issues as all married couples have no become equal in the eyes of the law. Discrimination against same sex couples in any of your policies will no longer be tolerated.

Paid Sick Leave
There are more laws regarding paid sick leave for you to keep an eye on than ever before. In fact, the number of laws has more than doubled in the past couple of years. In 2015, President Obama issued an executive order providing paid sick leave for federal contractors and further laws continue to be passed at the state and local level. It is vital that you keep well versed on these new laws and determine whether they apply to you.

Health Care Reform
New annual healthcare reporting requirements have been recently introduced that could land a mountain of paperwork on your desk. If you're an Applicable Large Employer (ALE) or a non-ALE with self-insured health plans, you were required to provide forms 1095 or 1094 to your employees for the first time this year. The penalties for failing to do so or providing inaccurate information can be costly so make sure you know which forms you need to complete and their corresponding deadlines.

The above issues describe only a handful of the new HR changes that have been forecast for 2016. The impending presidential election cold change things even more. To get the full picture on these issues or any other HR related questions, subscribe to our blog.