In business, it’s a constant challenge to keep up with laws and regulations. Changes in laws happen frequently — both at the state and federal level — which makes it exceedingly difficult to maintain compliance with all of them, let alone communicate about them to employees. But with so many other tasks already on your team’s plate, compliance and communication can sometimes fall through the cracks, exposing your organization to the risk of hefty financial penalties, lawsuits, and other legal consequences.
Even if you have some level of legal expertise on staff, consulting with an outside team of licensed attorneys can provide additional, dedicated time and advice that helps your organization stay on top of new and changing laws, maintain compliance, and create a safer, more transparent workplace.
Read on to learn more about the value of legal guidance, especially with today’s shifting COVID-19 laws and the increasing cost of legal mishaps, and why outsourcing legal services is a good idea.
Current legislation & legal trends
The COVID-19 pandemic brought a flurry of new workplace and employment laws, ranging from onsite worker protections to wage and hour protections to paid leave — laws that often differed state by state and even from federal laws.
When the vaccine became available to the public, the question of whether to mandate vaccines for employees was a big and sometimes controversial one for many organizations. The recent ruling by the Supreme Court that blocks vaccine mandates for businesses with more than 100 employees — with the exception of federal and healthcare workers and contractors — meant some organizations have had to rethink their vaccine plans.
There are even more legal changes and trends afoot as employees return to the workplace. Employers have to figure out how to better manage remote workers’ time to avoid “off-the-clock” requests and regular hours bleeding into overtime. Meanwhile, organizations that operate in multiple states will likely have ongoing questions and sometimes legal battles over which state’s laws should apply or take precedence.
As the pandemic recedes and life moves on, organizations will need to update their workplace policies — taking into account the interests of both the business and the workforce while still complying with current laws. For your people management team, making some of these decisions will no doubt be tricky.
Legal mishaps are costly…and avoidable
People management teams that try to navigate legal matters without the right experience or know-how — or even the time to properly focus on it — can land themselves in hot water. And any mistakes or misunderstandings that result in violations of employment laws can lead to financial fallout.
Consider that:
And those are just a few examples.
These penalties are easily avoidable, though, when you have a full understanding of the laws and their requirements, as well as the deadlines when important changes go into effect. Yet staying in the know is a major hurdle for many teams, and getting timely answers to specific legal questions that directly impact your organization can be even harder, especially if there’s no one on your immediate staff who can help.
Why you should consider outsourcing
For many organizations, not having some form of legal guidance isn’t an option. There are too many variables and moving parts that demand close scrutiny, and some business and people leaders know all too well what happens when the ball gets dropped.
When you don’t have the time to commit to legal duties or don’t have enough legal expertise on staff, outsourcing legal services is a smart choice that provides a number of benefits:
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Cost savings. Outsourcing legal guidance reduces the costs of hiring or retaining several full-time attorneys.
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Scalability. Outsourcing can scale up and down with the needs of your business, meaning you only pay for legal services when you need them, instead of year-round.
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Efficiency. Outsourcing allows your team to focus on other important tasks and long-term goals without getting bogged down by risk, compliance, and other legal matters that are difficult and time-consuming to research and management.
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Peace of mind. Outsourcing supplements your existing HR and legal team by providing additional oversight when making business, employee, and workplace decisions, ensuring you’re handling complex employee situations in the right way, and helping your organization stay compliant with laws and regulations.
Strengthen legal support
Whether your organization already has an attorney on staff, or you’re looking to add one, outsourcing legal services is a cost-effective way to get the legal guidance you need to maintain compliance and manage the myriad risks that employers and workplaces face. By outsourcing legal services, you can shift your HR team away from legal duties and toward more strategic work that drives the business forward.
SyncHR is here to support you with efficient, accurate, and cost-effective workforce management solutions. And with our partnership with myHRcounsel, you can receive legal guidance on even your most complex employee and workplace challenges.
To learn more about SyncHR, click here.
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