Those employers who are not in compliance with the law will soon be facing stiffer penalties. Companies in violation will feel the cost of inflation because, for the second time in six months, the federal government has increased fines as outlined under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act.
According to a recent article in HR Dive, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Department of Labor are increasing the cost of violations of the FLSA or Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime rules. These violations will increase from $1,894 to $1,925. Companies in violation of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) posting requirements will increase from $163 to $166 per offense. FLSA violations were previously increased by more than $1,000 for violations when previously the cost per violation only received a $110 fine on average.
For safety and health violations, OSHA will raise the fine from $12,471 to $12,675. For those companies who are repeat offenders, fines have risen from $70,000 to a whopping $124,709.
The federal government is hoping that these sharp spikes in fines will be a wake-up call to employers and help them to realize that violations will significantly hit their bottom line.
Making sure that your company is in compliance with federal labor and workplace safety laws can be confusing. There are also the various state, county and local laws to consider. These can lead to even further frustration for both you and your workers because these rules and regulations are changing on a nearly constant basis.
Following the law shouldn’t have to mean a major headache for you and your small to medium–sized company. At NetPEO, we know the law and we can help you navigate through the all of the necessary compliance standards.
NetPEO is a part of a network of companies that offers HR outsourcing and Employee Leasing Services and can help you manage payroll, employee benefits and all aspects of worker compensation. NetPEO and our alliance partners are committed to helping companies with all of their human resource needs.
Give us a call today to schedule an appointment and find out how we can help you fill all of your HR needs.