It Pays to Maintain Compliant Human Resource Practices on the Jobsite, CFMA Building Profits

11.16.2015

In an article published in the November/December issue of CFMA Building Profits, Andrew Sherrod and Nathaniel Story discuss key personnel issues that can arise on a construction jobsite and how to work with HR managers and project managers to ensure compliance and minimize the risk of unforeseen expenses resulting from investigations by government agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the Department or Labor (DOL). Sherrod and Story describe how to avoid an employment action claim by being aware of the federal and state laws that have created classes of workers that cannot suffer negative employment actions based on their protected characteristics, such as ethnicity or gender. Disabilities must also be planned for, and reasonable accommodations for qualified workers with disabilities must be made. Other important issues Sherrod and Story discuss are classifying workers as independent contractors and maintaining personnel records. Sherrod and Story conclude, “Although HR likely falls outside the scope of most CFM’s day-to-day responsibilities, it pays to work with those responsible for the company’s personnel practices to ensure compliance. As the old saying goes, ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’” Subscribers may read the full article here in the November/December edition of CFMA Building Profits.