HR Glossary for HR Professionals

Glossary of the most common HR terms and acronyms to assist professionals navigating the ever-growing and ever-changing world of HR terminology.

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Compliance

Compliance in the workplace

Above all, compliance can be defined as “the action of complying with a command.” Meanwhile, in a business world, it often is defined as a process of making sure the company and employees follow:

  • Laws.
  • Regulations.
  • Standards.
  • And lastly, ethical practices that apply to your organization and industry.

Therefore, HR Professionals tend to be the front line of defense when it comes to making sure employees at a company are:

  • Firstly, treated fairly
  • Secondly, treated legally.
  • And lastly, are responsible for keeping the business out of legal danger.

In conclusion, corporate compliance should be considered an essential part of any business, and each company should take preventative measures in order to mitigate risks and violations.

HR practices to pay attention to:

Most importantly, in order to stay on top of the ever-changing world of compliance, HR should often examine efforts in specific areas of the company, including:

  • Recruiting & Hiring
  • Benefits Administration
  • HR Administration 
  • Employment Laws & Practices
  • Education & Training in the Workplace
  • Time Off 
  • Health & Safety
  • Employee Performance
  • Compensation 
  • And lastly, terminations

HR laws:

In addition, the most common compliance laws that HR needs to stay on top of, for instance, include:

  • Anti-Discrimination Laws
  • The Civil Rights Act of 1964
  • The Americans with Disabilities Act
  • The Age Discrimination in Employment Act
  • The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act
  • The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
  • The Fair Labor Standards Act
  • The Family and Medical Leave Act
  • The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996
  • The Affordable Care Act
  • Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
  • Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
  • Occupational Health and Safety Act
  • And lastly, National Labor Relations Act

Additional Resources:

In conclusion, use our HR Scorecard to review your current HR practices and identify your compliance risks.

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