The U.S. regulatory landscape is in a constant state of change, and it takes time and attention to keep up with shifting rules, regulations and standards. At G&A, we make it our mission to keep your company in regulatory compliance with all federal, state, and local workplace requirements.
Maintain Employment Regulatory Compliance
Each year, thousands of new and revised regulations are passed. Some affect your workplace, others don’t. Staying compliant with, and aware of ever-changing regulations can add a layer of complexity to your business operations that, quite frankly, can leave you and your team feeling confused and overwhelmed. The HR compliance experts at G&A monitor employment regulations that may affect you. When there’s a change, we’re here to help you implement new requirements.
Stay on top of federal and state wage and hour requirements
Wage and hour laws primarily determine the wage rates you’re required to pay and the hours for which you must compensate employees. If your organization generates more than $500,000 a year (with some exceptions) and engages in interstate trade, you’re subject to federal and state wage and hour laws. The challenge for most organizations, however, is understanding and staying compliant with these ever-changing regulations.
At G&A, our regulatory and compliance experts have mastered the minutiae of wage and hour laws, and we can work with you to identify the laws that apply to your company and your employees. In addition, we can analyze your situation and facilitate the steps you need to take to ensure compliance.
Navigate the complex path to fair labor law compliance
The responsibility for complying with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) falls squarely on your company’s shoulders. If you violate a provision, your employees have the right to file a complaint and/or initiate legal action, and you could end up facing criminal charges or monetary penalties for an unintentional mistake.
G&A’s team of employment law experts will ensure your employee classifications are correct and you meet federal wage and overtime standards. We’ll also help you maintain accurate records and put procedures in place to avoid mistakes.
Paid leave offers refuge when your employees need it most. We can help manage the logistics.
Whether mandated by law or offered as a benefit, paid leave is more than a perk for your employees. It helps them to address their own health issues or care for a loved one, and that courtesy is often returned in the form of hard work and loyalty. In addition to meeting federal and/or state paid leave requirements, it’s best to have processes in place to ensure your employees’ duties are covered in their absence and that your company properly manages associated costs.
G&A’s HR professionals help you manage your leave policy and processes so you can support your employees in their time of need. This means working with you to develop and/or strengthen your company’s leave policy, while ensuring your employees know what they’re entitled to by law. We also help you implement leave management processes that streamline requests and approvals and allocate job duties while an employee is on leave.
Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
The intent of the Family and Medical Leave Act is simple, but deciphering the many components of the law can be a challenge. For example, if your employee requests medical leave, your company is tasked with determining whether their illness qualifies as a “serious health condition” according to FMLA guidelines. How do you make that decision?
G&A’s experts are here to help you understand your rights and responsibilities under FMLA and other similar state leaves of absence and how to apply compliance guidelines to your workplace. For more information about the law and its requirements, refer to our FAQs about FMLA.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to any company with 15 or more employees. And in addition to guidelines around work schedules and leaves of absence, the ADA also requires reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities.
If you have one or more employees with disabilities and you’re unsure about ADA requirements—including flexible medical leave and workspace modifications— G&A’s compliance experts can help guide you through the details and set you and your team up for success.
Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)
Even companies with a primary focus on discrimination prevention are vulnerable to discrimination lawsuits. G&A offers competitive rates on employment practices liability insurance (EPLI), which provides your company with a layer of protection in the event a discrimination claim is made.
EEOC Requirements
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that interprets and enforces federal laws prohibiting discrimination. In short, they protect employees in the workplace from discrimination, harassment, bullying, and other forms of victimization.
At G&A, we feel it’s our job to provide you with the tools you need to guide your workforce, and we’ll work closely with your team to help them understand the EEOC’s role in protecting employees. We also offer online training programs for your management staff on equal employment opportunity law and how best to communicate with employees who are toeing the line with their words and actions.
ADA Responsibilities
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life. Your responsibility as an employer is to provide the same employment opportunities to people with disabilities as you do to those without. The ADA also requires you to make reasonable physical changes to your workplace to accommodate applicants and employees.
G&A can help you address ADA issues. This may include minor changes to operating procedures to accommodate employees with disabilities, allowing service animals in the workplace, and creating a written policy for disability-related leave.
Creating a safe workplace for your employees
Employees are reporting harassment in greater numbers, in part due to the societal backlash against behaviors no longer deemed acceptable in the workplace. Many harassing behaviors are also illegal in places of employment, and companies are working harder than ever to create a safe work environment. G&A can review your workplace practices for potential vulnerabilities and help you implement systems that encourage employees to seek help if they feel they’re being harassed.
Protection against workplace harassment
When you partner with G&A, you gain access to a team of professionals dedicated to safeguarding your employees against workplace harassment. We also provide online training programs to educate your management team and employees about unacceptable behaviors and how to address a situation or prevent one from happening. In addition, we can provide human resources support when a complaint is made in your workplace that requires investigation and follow-up action. G&A can work with you to create a proactive harassment prevention program that includes:
- Consistent messages to employees that make it clear harassment will not be tolerated, with information about what constitutes illegal behavior
- Recurring anti-harassment training for management and employees
- If applicable, state-required, mandatory anti-sexual harassment training
- A confidential complaint/grievance process that allows employees to express concerns at an early stage without fear of retaliation—a process that garners swift and thorough action when harassing behavior occurs
Be aware and compliant with laws regulating your benefits plans
Health, retirement, and welfare plans play an integral role in helping your employees nurture their physical and financial well-being. A weighty responsibility that accompanies these benefits packages is maintaining compliance with federal regulations designed to protect participants from mismanagement and abuse. G&A’s team of human resources experts can help your business become and remain compliant with the hundreds of federal, state, and local laws regulating employers’ benefits plans.
Benefits Covered by Federal Law
Employee benefits covered by federal law include more than health insurance and retirement programs. Keeping up with your employee benefits compliance responsibilities can be overwhelming, particularly if you don’t have the ability to hire employee(s) dedicated to the task. The benefits experts at G&A can assess your benefits plan, recommend solutions, and develop a strategic plan that ensures your plan’s long-term health.
If you offer any of the following benefits to your employees, it’s imperative that you remain compliant with the rules that govern them.
- Medical, dental, visual, psychiatric, or long-term health care
- Pension plans and other retirement plans, including 401(k) or 403(b)
- Severance benefits
- Life insurance
- Accidental death or dismemberment benefits
- Unemployment, disability, vacations or holiday benefits
- Internships and tuition assistance
Safeguarding Employee Privacy under HIPAA
Hospitals and physician practices are required to protect the privacy of their patients under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). But did you know that as an employer, you must ensure that certain information in your database is under lock and key? This includes details about your employees’ past, present, or possible future physical or mental health, and the provision of healthcare and any payments made for that care.
G&A can help you create and implement policies and procedures regarding information security and privacy, and help you communicate that information to your employees. For more information, download our 10-question HIPAA Compliance Checklist.
Affordable Care Act Compliance Regulations
If compliance responsibilities under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have your head spinning, you’re not alone. In addition to providing qualifying and affordable coverage, employers of a certain size must also comply with detailed and complex reporting requirements that most businesses don’t have the resources to handle. G&A’s ACA services are designed to help you navigate the complexities of the healthcare reform law, comply with the employer mandate and information reporting requirements, and implement necessary preventive measures to avoid costly penalties.
Find out how G&A can help you provide healthcare coverage for your employees while staying compliant with ACA’s complex rules and regulations in this two-minute video.
Take the confusion out of benefits compliance and keep your employees informed along the way
Error-free and compliant payroll processing
A lengthy list of federal, state, and local laws requires employers to withhold taxes and garnishments from employee wages, and if you knowingly or unknowingly fail to comply with these regulations, there can be harsh penalties.
G&A’s payroll specialists can provide error-free payroll processing, keep you compliant with regulatory requirements, and help you reduce the time your organization spends on company payroll by as much as 80%.
Get on-time, accurate, and compliant payroll with online payroll processing services
A lengthy list of federal, state, and local laws requires employers to withhold taxes and garnishments from employee wages, and if you knowingly or unknowingly fail to comply with these regulations, there can be harsh penalties.
G&A’s payroll specialists can provide error-free payroll processing, keep you compliant with regulatory requirements, and help you reduce the time your organization spends on company payroll by as much as 80%. By accurately processing payments and withdrawals using a simple, self-service online system, our payroll specialists give your employees and managers the access they need to view paystubs, update information, approve timesheets and more.
Our payroll processing services include:
- Payroll tax filing
- Online payroll submission
- Automated standard deductions
- Garnishment and levy administration
- New-hire reporting
Employee Tax Withholding Requirements
Managing the complexities of employee tax withholding requirements can be a confusing and time-consuming process, and costly mistakes can happen. The payroll processing specialists at G&A can step in to take care of payroll mandates, and help you avoid paying fines and penalties related to common errors.
Garnishments
Odds are, the time will come when you are notified by a federal or state agency, or a court, that you must garner an employee’s wages. This is not an order you can choose to ignore, as failure to comply can subject you to fines and penalties. To better navigate these tricky waters, it’s best to know your responsibilities ahead of time, so you can effectively communicate with your employee about your legal obligations. Your most important obligation is the requirement to make deductions from your employee’s wages on a regular basis, and to make direct payments to a designated government agency or creditor.
G&A has extensive knowledge in the area of garnishments, and we can help you implement a system of procedures that ensure you’re processing mandated wage garnishments and complying with guidelines that protect your employees under the Consumer Credit Protection Act.
