Understanding and complying with local employment laws is critical for businesses operating in Indiana. Just like the other states of the union, Indiana has passed various local labor and employment laws that apply to people working in their state. Those building local businesses need to make sure they not only understand any applicable federal legislation, but they also need to study the Indiana-specific regulations that will impact their employees.
If you run a business in Indiana, let’s explore what you need to know about Indiana employment law compliance.
Key Aspects of Indiana Employment Law
Labor laws in different states can touch upon a variety of different categories. Some of the major areas where HR professionals need to make sure they familiarize themselves are:
- Wage and hour laws, which set minimum wage, pay schedules, overtime regulations, and more.
- Discrimination policies, which dictate how employers can legally sort their applicants, such as avoiding discrimination based on race or retaliating against employees for leveraging employee rights.
- Leave requirements, which describe the types of leave that employees are entitled to, including FMLA and sick leave.
Each of these types of laws dictates the protection that employees are entitled to ensure fair labor practices. These laws ensure that employers provide fair compensation for their employees.
Common Compliance Challenges
Although employers know the importance of complying with labor laws when they start a business, tracking all the Indiana-specific regulations and understanding Indiana employment laws can still be challenging. Unfortunately, those who do not properly track all the applicable requirements can face fines, lawsuits, and other punitive actions for failing to abide by the law.
Best Practices of Compliance: HR Compliance Tips Indiana
To help businesses and their HR teams remain compliant with Indiana regulations, there are several best practices you can follow. Abiding by these best practices will help you stay up-to-date on these legal regulations so that you do not accidentally become non-compliant with the law.
Regular Training and Education
Your HR staff should make continuing education a priority. Setting aside time and resources each year to remain current on the latest nuances of Indiana law can help your team refresh important information and inform themselves of any potential changes in regulation. Since laws surrounding employment and labor can shift, businesses have to prioritize educating themselves about the changes in the law and how those changes might impact their organization personally.
Documentation and Record-Keeping
Local regulations will have a big impact on how your business hires employees and interacts with them. To ensure you remain compliant, you must prioritize keeping careful records of all your decisions. Documentation not only helps you remember all the relevant details but also forces you to slow down and ensure that you abide by each of the individual laws. If you find anyone ever questioning whether your company complied with a given law, the record keeping will also make it easy to prove your case.
If a legal change goes into effect, you can also consult your records and see quickly where this shift might impact your business.
Policy Review and Updates
As changes are enacted related to labor laws, you also want to carefully review your internal policies so that you can make any applicable updates. Company policies will inform you and everyone else at your company how to behave and treat employees daily. Ensuring these policies align with labor and employment laws will keep your business operating optimally and help you avoid potential conflicts. These policy updates also help you get the word out about law updates that people across departments need to know. The internal regulations keep everyone on the same page.
Leveraging External Resources
Internal HR departments have a variety of competing responsibilities they need to manage. Not only do they have to verify that business policies align with laws, but they also need to manage the company’s personnel and operations. This can create obstacles for your team.
Working with external resources, such as specialized legal counsel and compliance services, can make it substantially easier for businesses to comply with all the applicable labor laws and regulations. When you work with a partner who specializes in understanding local laws, such as Indiana labor and employment laws, you have someone who will help you keep an eye on all the changes in regulations throughout the year.
Rather than your team needing time and resources to regularly research and educate themselves on all the labor law changes, this partner will provide you with personalized updates that apply directly to your business so that you can get the information you need faster and put it to work for your business. This makes it easier to remain compliant and avoid potential fines for inadvertently breaking a law.
Staying Updated: Employment Law Best Practices Indiana
Businesses in Indiana must regularly research and educate themselves on the applicable labor laws that may impact their business. These laws can affect various aspects of running a business, from leave requirements to discrimination policies.
To keep their business compliant, they must also invest time in regular training, record keeping, and reviewing their internal policies to reflect the latest legal restrictions.
Fortunately for many businesses, external resources and compliance services simplify this process. With the right partner, businesses can direct more of their resources towards their operations and trust their specialized partner to remain updated about all matters related to labor laws and update the business as needed. It has never been so easy to manage Indiana employment law compliance.
Put ASAP Payroll to Work for You: Your Indiana HR Legal Guide
Stay ahead of the curve with ASAP Payoll’s expert compliance services. Our tailored services have been designed specifically for Indiana businesses. Contact us today to ensure your HR practices align with Indiana employment law!
