For businesses in the construction industry, meeting compliance regulations is a big part of federal jobs. By taking on the responsibility of working with the government, you’re making a commitment to meet a lot of oversight expectations. 

Once the contract is signed and ready to roll, you’ve got to have your compliance measures in place. Here are some tips we give our customers who work on federal contracts about how to stay compliant.

5 ways to meet compliance requirements:  

1. Use a Strong Onboarding Platform to Hit Compliance from Day 1

Keep track of your employees’ compliance and certifications with software that automates the process from the point of hire to onboarding. Onboarding is increasingly seen as one of the most important parts of an employee’s career journey. It’s a unique moment where you can shape their view of the work, the company and their important part of something bigger. A smart HR system with a great onboarding platform will: 

  • Make expectations and progress transparent 
  • Put compliance-focused milestones front and center 
  • Set due dates and reminders 
  • Pull in relevant team members so everyone has a view into the progress of an employee’s training 
  • Include necessary safety training and company culture 

2. Make Employee Safety Training Easily Available 

According to OSHA’s most recent numbers, there are 14 deaths a day in the construction industry. It’s just a fact that the trades are a more dangerous business to be in than, say, desk jockeying. When your crew is using heavy machinery, electricity and/or is exposed to hazardous materials, it’s on your company to make sure they follow best practices in order to keep them as safe as possible. No death or injury is acceptable if it could be prevented through proper training. 

Serious businesses make training an absolute priority, and that typically includes a learning management system. With one in place, your safety and training program looks seamless: 

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3. Keep Records Long Enough…Without Thinking About It

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) oversees several important laws, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, VEVRAA and some payroll issues, but keeping up with its rigorous record-keeping demands can be time-consuming. For example, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employers should:

  • Keep all employment records for one year
  • Retain for a year after termination personnel records of an involuntary terminated employee
  • Keep all payroll records for three years
  • Keep on file any employee benefit plan for at least one year after its termination 
  • Keep all records that explain the basis for paying different wages to employees of opposite sexes for at least two years

These regulations are just a glimpse of what kind of rigorous record-keeping the federal government expects from its business partners. It’s not easy to do that with a paper-based system, or even a digitized one if it’s not specifically coded for federal compliance. The BirdDogHR software is rooted in the construction industry, which means our software is uniquely formulated to meet and exceed OFCCP audits.

Case Study: See how Metropolitan Mechnical Contractors, Inc. cut their reporting processing time from 20 hours to just 30 minutes!

4. Recruit & Hire with Diversity in Mind 

Federal contractors and subcontractors are prohibited from workplace employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin according to the Department of Labor. Best practices include:

5. Reduce Data Errors through Smart Automation 

There are smart HR professionals, and there’s smart HR. Same goal, big difference. Smart HR professionals use smart HR to hit their objectives in a way that saves time and improves the quality of life for workers. This is done by eliminating busy work and embracing workflows built to help your business work smoothly and help your employees enjoy clear communication and autonomy. The process starts with a core HR system, which uses workflows to: 

  • Enable powerhouse-level compliance 
  • Save time and money
  • Centralize employee data points 

Federally mandated compliance should help build a better workforce, not take you away from your focus as an HR professional. In order to keep your eye on the ball (fostering safe, happy and productive employees) you need a no-hassle solution. With a compliance-focused HR software like ours, you could save a ton of time in your record-keeping and audit-readiness. See a demo today.

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