News & Insights

As most school bus operators know, when it comes to human resources, compliance is often the primary focus. However, there are other elements of effective human resources management that extend beyond compliance, such as communication and compassion. School bus operators, like most employers, are frequently faced with workplace issues where clear communication and compassion can make a difference.  

Compliance is a primary focus of HR departments because employers need to ensure that are complying with all employment laws and regulations, as well as company policies, in day-to-day operations. This is not always an easy task, given the number of laws and regulations that exist, such as Title VII, the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), among others. Understanding the interaction of these laws and the workplace is important to maintaining compliance. Taking action against an employee without a full grasp on applicable employment laws could lead to causes of actions filed against the employer for claims like  discrimination, harassment and most commonly, retaliation.

While HR departments must remain diligent to ensure compliance at all times, it is equally as important to focus on communication and compassion. Being able to clearly communicate company policies to employees, both verbally and in writing, is critical for employees to understand workplace standards. If policies are clearly communicated to employees, this can help strengthen an employers defense to any employment actions taken against an employee for violating a company policy.  Compassion is also important, and HR departments should be mindful to treat employees with respect, empathy, and understanding, which may help employers get ahead of workplace issues.

Join us on Monday, June 29th at the PSBA Annual Convention, where RC Kelly Law will discuss these topics in greater detail during our presentation: “Taming the Wild West of HR: Communication, Compliance and Compassion – the Cornerstones of HR Best Practices”. In the meantime, if you have questions on above, you can contact help@rckelly.com or call us at 215-896-3846.