1. Hiring employees.
In order to be compliant with employment laws in relation to hiring, we will need to have a job application form, which can be downloaded from our company website and must be used by all applicants when they apply for jobs at our company. In addition, we will need to provide all applicants for jobs with a comprehensive job description, including the job requirements and skills required to do the job.
2. State and federal minimum wage laws.
The minimum wage for our state is $8.50 an hour. With regard to federal wage laws, we must also adhere to certain rules concerning overtime pay.
3. Overtime laws and pay increases.
We will have to be sure that all employees are paid at least time-and-a-half for every hour they work over 40 in any seven day period (week). This means calculating their hours, and either adding on time-and-a-half for those over 40, or deducting it from those under.
4. Social security taxes.
Employees are not allowed to contribute to social security and Medicare taxes. And we as the employer must pay 6.2% and 1.45% of every employee's gross wages, respectively (7.65% total). We will also need to be sure that no employee is allowed to work more than 40 hours a week in order to avoid paying into Social Security and Medicare while they're working overtime.
5. Unemployment benefits.
In order to comply with the unemployment laws we must make sure that our employees are allowed to take any available unemployment benefits if they lose their jobs through no fault of their own. We will also need to be sure that we are not withholding any funds from our employees' wages for unemployment or other benefit payments. And our employees must also be provided with a way in which they can file for unemployment benefits if needed, such as a HR department number and phone number.
6. Health insurance benefits.
In order to comply with relevant health insurance laws, we will need to offer all of our full-time employees (those working over 30 hours/week) a health insurance policy that includes at least an 80% or greater employer contribution towards the premiums. We must also be sure to follow any state and federal laws requiring unemployment benefits be paid immediately upon separation from employment. This means that our payroll department must pay out the remainder of their wages due when the employee leaves our company, and not accumulate them for later payment.
7. Workers' compensation benefits
We will need to be sure that our company has workers' compensation insurance, and makes any necessary tax payments each year, in order to comply with the law.
8. Training and employee development programs.
All of our employees are eligible for an annual training budget for courses related to their jobs. All money spent must be pre-approved by management, and the courses must relate directly to job performance of the employees in question. And we as employers will also have to pay at least half of any tuition costs for relevant courses that pertain directly to the education or skill level required by the position being filled.
9. Employer-paid training and education costs (scholarships, etc.)
If we as employers are providing benefits to our employees in any way, this must be paid for by us and not the employee. This means that we will have to pay for all employer-funded training and education costs which the employee does not pay for themselves.
10. Benefits eligibility determination process.
If it's necessary for us to determine if an employee is eligible for certain company benefits, this determination process must be done on a case-by-case basis, or in a specific way that complies with state and federal laws.