Effect of Legal Safety and Regulatory Requirements on The HR Process

Effect of Legal Safety and Regulatory Requirements on The HR Process

Human resources departments have evolved significantly throughout modern history. The one force that has shaped human resources more than any other and has been most responsible for how the department functions today, has been the state and federal government. Human resources departments have always been highly influenced by the passage of new laws (e.g., HIPAA and the Affordable Care Act), regulatory policies (e.g., nondiscrimination/harassment or retaliation policies that are enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)), and safety protections (such as those enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)).