The human resources (HR) department is at the center of the company’s efforts to hire and retain the right people who can help achieve organizational goals. But apart from that, HR also plays a key role in the organization’s compliance structure.
Several laws and regulations apply to labor relations in the UK, and HR professionals should be aware of this to ensure the company avoids the hefty fines and penalties that come with non-compliance, let alone the damage. potential to the company’s reputation. In extreme cases, non-compliance can even lead to criminal courts.
Maintaining compliance with the UK’s ever-changing employment rules and regulations would require HR to be kept up to date and able to adapt at a pace. Here’s how human resources departments in the UK ensure compliance.
Ensure employees are competent in compliance
Recruiting the right talent is one of the areas of HR responsibility, which today is a big issue for many companies in the UK. HR must have the knowledge, experience and skills to hire employees who have a clear understanding of compliance. These are employees who have completed compliance training. This training ensures that employees are aware of the relevant laws, regulations and internal policies that govern the company. Employees who have completed compliance training are aware of their responsibilities and limitations. As such, they can perform well and work productively with less supervision.
HR should also ensure that everyone in the organization is familiar with UK employment law and legal requirements that could affect the organization at any time. These laws and regulations are constantly changing, so HR needs to keep abreast of the latest information available.
Developing an employee manual and updating it on a regular basis is also a way for HR to ensure that employees are competent when it comes to compliance. This book will serve as a communication tool within the organization that will outline the policies and procedures of the organization and how the business is to operate.
Control annual leave
To encourage employee productivity, HR must ensure a healthy balance between work and time off. So part of their responsibilities is to offer employees paid time off. Every employee in the UK is entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks leave per year. For those who work full time, this means they are entitled to 28 days off each year. The calculation of the leave entitlement for those working part-time will be pro-rated.
Because of ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the UK government has proposed measures to allow employees to return to their workplaces safely. One of them is the introduction of flexible or staggered working hours. Flexible working can prevent huge crowds from commuting to work during peak hours, minimizing the spread of the virus. In addition to implementing flexible working, HR should ensure that employees who fall ill will receive statutory sick pay or SSP. The SSP allows workers who are too sick to come to work to receive £ 96.35 per week and will be paid for up to 28 weeks.
Compliance training
No matter what industry you belong to, taking compliance training is essential to protect yourself and your employees. HR must ensure that employees are well trained in health and safety, fire safety and diversity in the workplace.
Some companies may not recognize the value of compliance training, but it does add value to the business. By training employees to better understand the rules and regulations that relate to their respective functions, any negative impact on the business will be avoided. Lack of knowledge about compliance can have disastrous effects for the company and the organization since it will eventually be reflected in the behavior of the employee.
The purpose of compliance training is to make sure everyone is on the right side of the law. As UK workplace laws and regulations are constantly changing, there is an even greater need for HR to pursue up-to-date compliance training. Lack of compliance training could directly affect the organization’s ability to maintain a well-respected reputation, as legal complications could result in negative publicity for the business.
Having a bad reputation could deter potential customers and investors, which could potentially affect sales and profits. Compliance training will not only ensure good sales and good profits, but it can also save the business money. The training will not cost the company anything; However, non-compliance could cost the business significantly more money, which would go to legal fees, business losses, business disruptions, etc.
Stay compliant with GDPR and cybersecurity
Several companies have already set up remote working even before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. So when the pandemic broke, these companies were able to operate continuously using a distributed workforce. Internet-based companies like Twitter and Shopify have also made remote working permanent. These new working arrangements will also require different security requirements than centralized offices, especially to maintain data security while complying with GDPR.
Part of the responsibilities of HR is to properly manage remote teams and ensure that all personal data remains private and secure. Employees should be aware of GDPR and know how to avoid data security issues. Another problem for human resources is how industry 4.0 will affect employment leading to the automation of more business data through technology which will also need protection against cyber theft. A simple mistake on their part could result in a data breach that may expose personal and private data. These data breaches will not only affect consumer confidence, but can also lead to costly GDPR fines.
HR should implement a cybersecurity policy that teaches employees how to protect company data. If the company does not yet have this policy, HR should make one. When developing this policy, they should review NIST’s cybersecurity framework, which outlines the best guidelines for all steps involved in identifying and mitigating threats.
The most important things HR can do to stay GDPR compliant when managing a team remotely are to update cybersecurity policy, train employees, and create a cybersecurity team that will be ready to help with data security issues. Importantly, HR should also limit employee access to sensitive data and secure connections using a corporate VPN.
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