Even writing this post gives me anxiety.

One thing I didn't fully realize about working in People Operations is how complex Employee Law can be. The Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) training includes some of this, but it focuses on federal laws. The real difficulty comes with understanding the different rules in each state. State compliance is very different from federal, which is very different from global.

For example, Paid Family Leave differs from state to state. Some states require you to submit an insurance claim to be eligible (New York), and others don’t. For final paychecks for involuntary or voluntary exits, some states require you to submit them the same day, but others are okay as long as they are within the next pay cycle. Some states have a federal minimum salary while others don’t. New York and a few other states require companies to post wages for new roles, and others aren’t (yet).

This doesn’t even begin to cover global compliance – or even thinking about immigration visas (a process I learned this year with our immigration lawyer, which, of course, also changed during this administration).

You get where I’m going 🫠

I must constantly recheck laws and policy changes from the internet, lawyers, experts, and trusted networks. They also change mainly every year because the world is never-ending. Companies are dedicated to monitoring and updating these laws since they impact everyone at the company. This also means refreshing employee handbooks and other important company documents, contingent on these policies.

Compliance literally rules how we function as a company I function. I reread things at least five times, and even then, I’m still unsure, so I ask our lawyer or someone well-versed to double-confirm. Most employees don’t know these rules, so it is even more important that I figure it out / have a solution.

The downside is that if you’re not compliant, you risk potentially paying excessive fees or, even worse, getting sued and still paying excessive fees. It’s all really daunting, and I get very nervous every time I have to interpret, update, or even look at policies. There’s so much to get wrong, and it’s so complicated that sometimes I can’t understand it logically. Thank goodness for lawyers.

I’m sure someone out there loves this stuff, and I love it for them. I, on the other hand, am an admirer from a distance and engage only when called upon. Distant lovers. Romeo and Juliet, but I’m the poison.

So, to recap:

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Which personal boundaries are you breaking today?