Compliance is costly. No matter what industry you find your business in, there is always room for compliance risk that can threaten financial ruin for your company.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Office of the General Counsel (OGC) resolved 165 noncompliance merit suits in the fiscal year 2020, recovering $106,193,215 for 25,925 individuals. The OGC achieved a favorable judgment in 95.7% of all suit resolutions, including:
- 99 contained claims under Title VII (60%)
- 5 contained claims under the EPA (3%)
- 11 contained claims under the ADEA (6.7%)
- 58 contained claims under the ADA (35.2%)
- 72 cases sought relief for multiple individuals (43.6%)
Yes, these stats are scary. But the good news is that if your business is fully aware of the risk of compliance violation, and are taking the necessary steps to avoid it, your business is much less likely to be vulnerable to legal and financial disaster. Here are three things you can be doing to combat compliance risk:
1. Offer a Quality Work Culture and Office Environment
Many of the lawsuits surrounding businesses being non-compliant are derived from sexual harassment, age discrimination, racial discrimination, disability discrimination, health and safety violations, and wrongful terminations. Any experienced HR and compliance professional knows that a culture where associates are comfortable is perhaps the most valuable element of their compliance program.
So, start right where you are. Creating a healthy work culture and core values, as well as an environment that is inclusive and respectful starts with company leadership. From there, a business is able to fully implement a positive work culture where everyone is valued equally, which helps your business stay clear of situations that could cause harmful and costly lawsuits.
2. Compliance Training
One way to really put official systems in place to create a positive, quality, and risk-free work environment for your employees is to put compliance training in place for all employees. This can be done through hiring and consulting with a team of HR professionals.
3. Outsource Your HR Managed Services
Staying in a place where you feel like your business is safe from compliance risk is a great feeling, but it’s a lot of work. That’s why bringing in outsourced services for consulting and training is your best bet.
An effective compliance training program is an opportunity for a compliance expert to build credibility and trust with your business, allowing associates to feel comfortable contacting HR with questions and concerns first, before situations get out of hand. Compliance training gives all employees the chance to learn how to practically stay clear of discrimination, violence and safety risk in their workplace.
Concerned About Compliance Risk? TPC Can Help.
As we said, compliance is a hefty responsibility and can be a lot for a business to take on internally. At TPC, we have decades of experience in the areas of compliance risk management and training. We love helping businesses of all kinds help mitigate compliance risk so that they are able to focus on their business’s operations and success. That is why we created our eBook guide, “The High Cost of Non-Compliance” to help raise awareness of this topic. Download your FREE copy, or reach out to our team today to find the best plan for you and your business!
