Compliance with HR legislation. Compliance, a term increasingly used in Romania as well

The HR department is responsible for identifying, hiring, and retaining the personnel that an organization needs to fulfill its mission and achieve its objectives. Timesheets, payroll, and staff management or integration of new employees are other essential functions within HR’s responsibility. Add to this internal communication, evaluating employee performance, or establishing programs of benefits. Critical but perhaps less apparent aspects include developing and monitoring compliance with labor protection rules, training programs related to occupational safety or hygiene, or drawing up codes of conduct and behavior within the organization.

One of the common characteristics of all these activities is the fact that they must always be carried out in compliance with legislation in force. HR professionals must be aware of and abide by numerous regulations – laws, government decisions, or emergency ordinances.

From the rights that the employees have regarding taxes paid to the State or the registration of their presence in the workplace, all activities within the department must be performed in compliance with legislation in force.

An advanced HR software is one of the solutions that HR professionals have to ensure that everything is in order in terms of compliance.

Compliance. What is this, and what are the responsibilities of the HR Department?

The term compliance in the HR field defines the process by which the department must ensure that both legislation and internal regulations and policies are respected. Preventive behavior is required from the HR department, which involves a lot of responsibility. From this point of view, the use of an advanced HR software, updated according to the latest legislative changes, will prove extremely valuable for HR compliance.

If we think about compliance and process automation, the first thing we consider is a human resources software, which includes a payroll module. We can add employee management and a timesheet module. However, lately, HR platforms cover several areas, also playing an important role in the field of compliance.

Recruitment, employee relationships, performance management, labor protection, you can support them all by an HR software. A professional supplier will consider aligning them with the latest legislative changes. HR experts can be relaxed knowing that the risks of non-compliance are minimal, with the help of the HR application used.

How does an HR software help you comply with regulations in force?

Compliance with regulations in force is one of the monotonous tasks of the HR Department. The challenge is all the more, as they are numerous and constantly changing.
Add to this internal policies and alignment with company values. This area can also be a challenge, especially in large companies, with headquarters abroad.

An HR software program will prove to be a valuable tool for the HR Department. In addition to its role in data digitization and workflow automation, it can play a critical role in compliance.

Thus, an HR application:

1. Is constantly updated regarding regulations and legislative changes

Legislative regulations can undergo major changes, which must be implemented quickly, in the most diverse fields. HR Sincron business consultants, for example, permanently incorporate current know-how into the software platform.

For example, the GDPR (concerning the protection of personal data) is implemented since 2018. HR Sincron has aligned the software solution offered with the provisions of the regulation so that the related processes and activities are in line with the requirements of the new legislation. Our solution helps you legally and securely manage the personal data of your applicants and employees.

2. Compliance with occupational health and safety legislation

Occupational health and safety is an area with a major risk from the perspective of compliance, treated very seriously by the Romanian authorities. The law establishes the obligations of the members of the organization to guarantee the occupational health and safety, and the employer must carefully document their compliance.

The current legislation drastically sanctions failure to comply with the rules in this field. The software provides traceability of all measures taken by an organization to guarantee the health and safety of its workers in the workplace, centralization of all necessary and available documents for each employee, along with features such as reminders related to the expiration of critical documents.

3. Recording, reporting, and payment of worked time

Article 119 of the Labor Code, updated by GEO [Government Emergency Ordinance] No. 53/2017 regulates the obligation of the employer to: “Keep records of the hours worked daily by each employee at the workplace, stating the start and end times of the work schedule, and submitting such records to the labor inspectors, whenever requested.”

The law does not expressly provide for the automation of these procedures, but only a strict record of them. To minimize the risk of errors, the use of a timesheet software solution is essential. It will also provide you with the necessary documentation in case of inspection, in an organized and easy-to-access manner.
The time and attendance application can also be a good starting point for the correct calculation of employees’ wages.

4. Payroll and benefit software

A major benefit of a payroll software program is the time saved by it, by automation. However, the software must also ensure permanent compliance with the legislation by the organization.

Changes related to insurance and the responsibility for the payment of its installments, taxes, and fees, other legislative changes. All these must be integrated into the HR software as soon as they appear.

5. Organization of training programs

A software program will help to organize yourself properly so that the employees benefit, at least from the training provided by legislation. Under Article 194 of the Labor Code, employers should ensure the participation of all employees in training programs, under certain conditions and with a certain regularity.

Besides, the software will provide you, in due time, with information on the status of employees who need certain training courses to carry out an activity. Or, on the contrary, concerning those for whom a certain permit has expired and need a new exam or training program.

6. Decisions made can be better documented with the help of an HR software program.

The software will permanently reflect employee performance evaluations, their entire professional path, and any absences. Those responsible will be able to be sure that the decisions made can be supported by documentation. This documentation will always be well organized and available at any time in the system.

7. Regulating the relationship with employees

A people management software is also a formal communication tool with your employees. The documents created (related to personnel policy, company values, official announcements, employee manual) will be posted online and accessible to all.

The employee may receive notifications of any changes and confirm acknowledgment. In this way, the software will regulate formal communication with the employees. At any time, you will be able to prove that employees were up to date regarding an announcement or change.

In short

Compliance with legal regulations in force, continually changing, is a permanent challenge for HR professionals. The HR trends for 2019 have also aimed compliance – constant efforts to comply with the legislation.

The HR department must be constantly aware of these regulations, adapting to them. Alternative? Fines applied to the company and, thus, damaged reputation – at the individual and organizational level.

HR Sincron treats every new regulation with the utmost seriousness, our consultants quickly incorporating every change in the software platform. The constant effort of our experts goes in the direction of the regular integration of all adjustments while maintaining the quality standards of the software platform and continuing its development.

An HR software program permanently adapted to legislative changes is one of the critical solutions to comply with the regulations in force. When things are all right in terms of compliance, HR department experts can focus better on other tasks.

© 2019 Sincron HR Technologies Inc.

• HR Compliance
• HR Software