Welcome to part three of our Guide to Frequently Asked Questions at Sodales – where we dive into the important topic of compliance. Keeping your workplace compliant is crucial for the well-being of both your employees and your organization as a whole. It goes beyond simply following laws and regulations – it’s about embracing ethical and responsible business practices.
In this blog post, we aim to provide you with clear and concise answers to common questions about compliance and how Sodales can help your organization adhere to its compliance requirements. Let’s get started!
Sodales often gets asked by customers how we can help them adhere to their compliance requirements when implementing our software. Let’s get to straight to the point – Sodales is known for handling compliance specific matters, whether that be matters as required by regulatory bodies like the FDA, ITAR, HIPAA, EPA, WSIB, or OSHA. Sodales recognizes that compliance in human resources is a relevant need for so many organizations and in the changing landscape of human capital, Sodales makes it easy to manage any organizations compliance requirements.
Why is compliance important when dealing with health and safety?
Compliance is a critical aspect for various industries, and the way it is dealt with can vary significantly depending on the industry, regulatory environment, and specific requirements. If we look at the healthcare sector as an example, healthcare employees must comply with regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the United States to safeguard patient data, ensure proper billing practices, and adhere to quality care standards. In the manufacturing industry, environmental regulations and quality control standards must be compliant with ISO standards, and OSHA regulations, in order to maintain the health and safety of its employees by preventing exposure to harmful substances, ensuring proper ergonomics, and more. Health and safety compliance safeguards the physical and mental well-being of employees, and aligns with principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. It demonstrates an organizations commitment to ethical business practices and its concern for the well-being of their employees.
Sodales takes compliance seriously and has implemented resources within each module to ensure adherence to relevant regulations and standards, whatever they may be.
How does Sodales help organizations adhere to global health and safety requirements?
Firstly, identifying and understanding the specific health and safety regulations and standards that apply to your industry and location (as laws can vary based on region and industry) is key to understanding what you need to comply with as an organization. Sodales is available globally, as the solutions is built on SAP BTP, which means that it can host in any of the SAP data centres around the world. Currently, Sodales has customers who are hosting Sodales in Saudi Arabia, Canada, United States of America, Australia, and more. This means, Sodales can integrate with your organizations existing HR platform to help you adhere to your country-specific regulations, no matter where your organization is located, even if your organization is operating in multiple countries.
If we look at disability management for example, organizations in the retail sector or constructions sector, who are exposed to many elements (tall ladders, hazardous materials, forklifts, etc.), want to establish clear procedures for reporting to be able to thoroughly determine the root causes and take corrective actions. Sodales can seamlessly integrate with OSHA reporting requirements, short-term disability and long-term disability requirements, and provide compliance packages which can then be independently and seamlessly deployed.
One crucial compliance module that Sodales makes available, includes requirements sought by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – two different sets of accessibility regulations that aim to ensure equal access and opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Non-compliance with these acts can result in penalties, lawsuits, and court-ordered remedies. It is important for organizations to understand and adhere to the specific accessibility standards and requirements that apply to them under these laws, location dependant.
No matter the location, specific labor relations needs, or union specific rules, with Sodales’ compliance modules and disability management solution, the full breadth of capabilities can help your organization adhere to any compliance requirement.
How does Sodales help labor organizations adhere to compliance requirements?
As organizations grow, compliance requirements tend to get more complex, according to an article published by Alp Consulting; compliance is everywhere, whether you’re dealing with payroll, or discrimination or harassment, ensuring that your compliance processes are adhered to is crucial for safeguarding the interests of the organization and its employees.
If we look at highly unionized organizations in the utilities sector, higher education sector, or public sector, these organizations are bound by compliance and key employee processes as stated in their collective bargaining agreements (CBA); collective bargaining agreements are the baseline engine and driving force for those processes as they outline terms and conditions of employment, including wages, working hours, benefits, grievance procedures, and more. Maintaining compliance within unionized organizations becomes complex with multiple unions and multiple collective bargaining agreements that require different processes for grievances, seniority, and job bidding. With Sodales, representatives from these labor unions can monitor and ensure employer and employee compliance with the collective bargaining agreement, using tools from the Sodales software that manage inspections, audits, reports, job bidding, and more.
In addition, if an employee or employer needs education on their collective bargaining agreements provisions to ensure they fully understand it, Sodales’ CBA management tool ensures that employees understand their rights and responsibilities under the agreement, so when, for example, an employee files a grievance or discipline and refers to a clause in an existing CBA, the management tool will pull the clause directly from the contract manager to ensure it is a concise and valid reference.
It’s simple, with Sodales, simultaneously managing multiple unions, multiple collective bargaining agreements, company specific rules, and government laws, it becomes seamless and easy.
How can you maintain a respectful workplace while remaining compliant?
Maintaining a respectful workplace while adhering to compliance regulations is not only essential for legal and ethical reasons, but it is important so that organizations can contribute to a positive and productive work environment. As respectful workplace compliance is becoming a key area to focus on, organizations, particularly in the public service sector, are bridging the gap between their employee and labor relations teams and their safety teams to foster collaboration.
With Sodales, organizations can implement a clear and confidential reporting system for their employees to report any violation of workplace respect or compliance regulations. This system will encourage communication and trust amongst employees, as they should feel comfortable discussing concerns or issues without fear of retaliation.
With Sodales, organizations will also have the ability to review and update workplace policies and procedures to ensure they remain compliant with changing laws and regulations, conduct regular audits and compliance checks, and analyze data and reports to determine to gauge the effectiveness of current rules and make continuous improvements. Sodales provides the means for organizations to become advocates for maintaining a respectful workplace for their employees. Using Sodales, any organization whether it be healthcare, retail, utilities, or public sector – can encourage diversity and inclusion initiatives that celebrate differences and create an inclusive environment where all employees feel valued and respected.
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Compliance with health and safety regulations, and employee and labor regulations, is essential for protecting employees, avoiding legal issues, maintaining a positive reputation, and fostering a workplace culture of accountability and fairness. It is a fundamental responsibility for all organizations, regardless of their industry, and with Sodales, we make it easy for any organization to maintain a compliant workplace.
To learn more about how Sodales can help your organization meet its compliance requirements, book your free demo here, and you’ll experience how Sodales will help make your organization’s health, safety and employee relations processes safer, efficient and more transparent.
