It is about being proactive, and relies on the HR director ensuring the necessary workflows, processes and internal rules are in place.
Self-regulation is not simply about ticking boxes and being able to demonstrate the appropriate audit and paper trails when required, though. Time and resources are squeezed more than ever and some HR departments have only realised that there is an issue with compliance when it is too late, such as when facing a court summons or a fine. This, of course, is easier said than done in today’s high-pressure work environment. Whose job is it, though, to regulate HR and ensure it is fulfilling its compliance requirements? The accountability has to come from within and inevitably it falls to the HR director to ensure that the department is self-regulating. The Government may have pledged to reduce red tape, but the volume of legislation and regulation shows no sign of abating. It involves time, resources and considerably adds to the function’s administrative load, but is unavoidable and has to be seen as part and parcel of the job description. As well as helping to avoid tangible penalties and fines, ensuring compliance in this area plays a major role in keeping the employer’s reputation and brand intact.
#Roger moore bond teamspirit software
Roger Moore, general manager at payroll and HR software company Bond Teamspirit.Īn increasingly important and growing part of HR’s remit in recent years has been ensuring that organisations stay on the right side of the law as far as workplace legislation and regulation is concerned. In order for HR to avoid the risk of employment disputes and legal action, the industry needs two things: a solid regulatory body with real powers to ensure compliance and, in the meantime, a greater internal emphasis on adopting and promoting robust HR processes.
There is currently no regulatory body responsible for ensuring that the HR industry meets changes in legislation or that can audit a department to certify their adherence. But what about the HR department itself? There are various organisations that the HR team can go to for advice and guidance – most notably the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Acas – but who or what can businesses turn to that can actively regulate the HR department? Other than government legislation, to whom or what is the HR department accountable on a day-to-day basis?