The holidays are upon us. They are a time of joy and family gatherings. They are a time when we take stock of our blessings, and we prepare to begin a new journey into the new year.

When I began consulting, I always knew I would be helping companies solve HR problems. In fact, that was the reason I was there! What has surprised me the most is the number of retirement plan account problems I have encountered throughout my time with Helios.

I am often asked about my thoughts on what kind of HR support a client needs, and what is best for a business “of my size”? And my answer is almost always the same…it depends.

HR compliance is an enormous topic and there is much to be considered when discussing it. There are employment law compliance responsibilities around benefits, 401k plans, federal contracting, record retention, state, and federal regulations…the list is endless. While the risk of not being in compliance can cost an organization hundreds of thousands of dollars, in some ways, I personally think this is one of the simplest disciplines of Human Resources. As an HR consultant who conducts many Human Resource audits for our clients, my advice to you is to get a process in place and stick with it. Once you have identified and corrected any gaps that exist, it's important that you maintain compliance throughout the year and the following audit checklist can help you do just that.