Navigating Compliance Throughout The Employee Lifecycle

Bonisiwe Shabane
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navigating compliance throughout the employee lifecycle

Employees can help an organization build a culture of compliance and adhere to the policies and procedures that have been put in place to fulfill regulatory and end-client requirements. Even in today’s tech-enabled world, the employees are the ones that help you execute your last-mile compliance strategy, internally and externally. To get your compliance in check through the employee’s life cycle, your organization must have a robust compliance management system that covers the entire employee life cycle. A compliance management system (CMS), with its features around policies, procedures, and controls can empower you to do the same. Let’s learn how. Onboarding is the first step in the employee life cycle and an opportunity to ensure that new hires are fully aware of your compliance policies and procedures.

All new hires must be educated on the risks and compliance requirements relevant to their department and how they can contribute to the overall success of your business’s overarching compliance strategy. A CMS can help you automate some of this onboarding process (knowledge tests, acknowledgment of preliminary compliance policies, etc.), reducing the time and effort required to complete all necessary forms and paperwork, and ensuring... Once they get absorbed into the system, employees need to play a key role in maintaining a culture of compliance. And to enable them to do so, you must create comprehensive policies and procedures and use LMS to notify them of the training course uploaded. You can use an advanced CMS like IPACS to notify them of current certifications and pending tests/courses, helping them digitally certify/recertify/acknowledge training material. Not surprisingly, breaking the law is expensive.

But compliance is more than a set of rules that employers must follow. It’s part of your culture and a demonstration of your company’s integrity. Employees are counting on you to have their best interests in mind, starting when they apply and throughout their career with your company. Take a look at the compliance journey from your employees’ point of view and consider these questions: Employment laws are complex, and the risks of noncompliance are steep. Check out our blog, HR Compliance 101: Fundamentals for HR Professionals to learn about additional requirements and strategies that will help you stay ahead of ever-changing legislation.

Between constantly changing employment laws and updates to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), keeping your workplace compliant can be a time-consuming and costly challenge. Eliminate the stress and stay up to date with our Compliance Dashboard. View compliance alerts and get a bird’s eye view of what you need to do to avoid fines and penalties. How can businesses ensure compliance during the recruitment and onboarding phases of the employee life cycle? Once the province of enterprises, ongoing HR compliance is now critical for businesses of all sizes. Consider the upcoming implementation of European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The GDPR mandates that prospective and current employee data must be leveraged only for "legitimate interest," which according to Lexology means that "employees' data processing should be strictly necessary for a legitimate purpose and... According to the new ADP eBook "Employment Compliance 101: From Hire to Retire," interviewing potential hires requires some compliance considerations. Don't: Post job descriptions that show candidate preference, pry into personal lives during the interview process or leave collected personal information improperly secured. Because: You could miss out on the best candidate or put your business at risk of privacy and other employment law violations. Grow your knowledge and comfort level of a wide range of compliance and legal issues in this enlightening two-day course. Through this interactive experience, you will learn how to effectively guide your organization through the employment laws that impact each phase of the employee lifecycle, from recruiting to separation.

Use SHRM's framework to analyze the impacts of employment legislation and compliance practices, such hiring, employee wages, hours and benefits requirements, discrimination, harassment, and separation practices. You will learn the importance of using compliance to build and sustain a strong company culture and through a series of real-world legal and compliance scenarios, you will expand your ability to advise, manage,... Is there out-of-date information about your company or courses published here? Fill out this form to get in touch with us. Intended Audience: HR professionals at all levels. SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, creates better workplaces where employers and employees thrive together.

As the voice of all things work, workers and the workplace, SHRM is the foremost expert, convener and thought leader on issues impacting today’s... Read more and show all training delivered by this supplier Over the past few years, companies with strong compliance frameworks have avoided hefty penalties, lawsuits, and reputational damage, while those that failed to keep up with evolving policies faced significant financial and operational setbacks. From labor laws and workplace safety regulations to data privacy and AI governance, compliance serves as the foundation for ethical business practices and sustainable growth. The risks of non-compliance continue to escalate. In 2024 alone, corporate penalties for regulatory violations exceeded $4 billion, spanning industries such as finance, healthcare, and tech.

Employment-related lawsuits surged, with HR missteps costing companies an average of $1.5 million per case. Beyond financial losses, failure to comply with updated laws can erode employee trust, increase turnover, and invite heightened government scrutiny. With a new administration taking office in 2025, proactive compliance strategies will be more essential than ever to protect your business and your workforce. As the U.S. transitions to a new administration in 2025, a wave of uncertainty looms over HR and compliance professionals. This shift could bring dramatic changes to workplace regulations, employment policies, and corporate compliance structures: some of which may significantly reshape the business landscape.

The stakes are high: potential reversals of existing labor protections, shifting enforcement priorities, and new policies surrounding DEI, remote work, and AI governance could force companies to rethink their compliance strategies entirely. While every administration ushers in policy adjustments, 2025 stands out as a critical turning point. Your company must prepare for increased scrutiny on labor relations, evolving rules for workplace automation, and state-led initiatives that may challenge federal directives. If regulatory oversight weakens at the federal level, expect states to step in, leading to a fragmented, complex compliance environment. Here’s what to know about employing talent compliantly. Hiring talent internationally can have a very positive impact on a business—from access to a larger talent pool to increased diversity, expanded time zone coverage, and greater economic resilience.

However, it’s important to be aware of the risks that come with cross-border hiring, especially if you go into it without sufficient knowledge of local employment laws in the countries where you’re hiring. Each country has its own unique and complex labor laws and tax regulations, and even unintentional noncompliance can lead to significant financial and legal risk. Staying compliant is an ongoing process. It involves adhering to legal requirements and regulations around hiring practices, wage and hour laws, employee benefits, workplace safety, anti-discrimination policies, and more. The specific laws vary from one country to another, but they have a common goal: to protect both employees and employers by maintaining a fair, safe, and ethical workplace. So, if you’re scaling your team beyond borders and hiring talent in other countries, you’ll need to be compliant with local labor laws at every stage of the employment relationship.

Let’s take a closer look at what it means to be compliant throughout the employee life cycle, from recruiting to offboarding. In the ever-evolving field of human resources, regulatory compliance is more than a box to check — it’s a fundamental part of protecting organizations and ensuring fair treatment of employees. At its core, regulatory compliance refers to the legal and ethical standards that organizations must follow to remain in good standing with local, state and federal laws. For HR professionals, compliance touches nearly every aspect of their role — from recruitment and hiring to compensation, benefits, employee safety and termination. Staying informed about these regulations isn’t just beneficial -- it’s essential. Keep reading for an overview of key areas where regulatory compliance plays a central role in HR operations.

HR professionals must navigate a wide range of employment laws and regulations that impact every stage of the employee lifecycle. Below are some of the most important compliance considerations every HR leader should understand. Human resources managers must design hiring practices that comply with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces these protections to prevent discrimination based on characteristics such as: As a SHRM Member®, you’ll pave the path of your success with invaluable resources, world-class educational opportunities and premier events. Demonstrate your ability to apply HR principles to real-life situations.

Stand out from among your HR peers with the skills obtained from a SHRM Seminar. Demonstrate targeted competence and enhance your HR credibility. Designed and delivered by HR experts to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to drive lasting change in the workplace. Published: April 23, 2025 by Gordon Middleton In 2025, large enterprise firms face an increasingly complex regulatory landscape, requiring them to stay ahead of evolving employment laws, workplace policies, and technological advancements. These HR compliance challenges of 2025 can pose risks for large organizations ill-equipped to handle these demands.The rise of remote and hybrid work paired with heightened data privacy concerns has made processes like mergers...

Unforeseen compliance errors can lead to costly penalties, reputational damage, and impacts to the bottom line. In this guide, we cover some of the top HR compliance issues large enterprises are facing today so you and your organization can maintain compliance and smooth operations. Staying on top of HR compliance challenges in 2025 is paramount to ensuring employee satisfaction while mitigating financial and reputational damage. In today’s world, frequent technological advancements, new laws and regulations, and more make it difficult to know what to be aware of, especially for a large enterprise with a robust workforce. Large enterprises also encounter increasing government oversight, evolving labor laws, and regulatory requirements that span multiple jurisdictions, all of which require HR teams to ensure legal compliance while maintaining operational efficiency. Our first look at the 2025 compliance landscape narrows in on the multi-jurisdictional employment laws.

HR teams for large enterprises with a global or multi-state presence must seamlessly navigate tax codes, employee rights and regulations, wage and labor laws, leave policies, and termination procedures in which they operate. Worker classification is also vital, especially in the remote-first world we now find ourselves in. Gig workers and independent contracts must be accurately classified to avoid fines and legal action. On top of these demands, large organizations must comply with global data protection laws, such as GDPR in Europe and CCPA/CPRA in California. So, how are enterprises like yours handling these vast HR compliance challenges in 2025? Technology.

From third-party consulting to compliance management software, organizations are turning to carefully curated solutions designed to maintain compliance, streamline operations, and reduce bottlenecks to drive operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.

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