Behind every smooth-running business is a strong office support team. While roles like scheduling, filing, and managing communications may seem routine, they play a critical role in keeping your organization compliant and protected.
In fact, office support staff are often the first line of defense against costly compliance errors. But finding the right talent isn’t easy. Sixty-four percent of companies say hiring compliance-savvy staff is “very challenging,” and more than half admit they’ve had to compromise as a result.
Understanding where compliance mistakes happen—and how skilled office support can help prevent them—could save your business from serious risks.
Common Compliance Mistakes and Their Consequences
Common compliance mistakes vary depending on your industry. For example, the hospitality industry currently struggles with how to tax tips. The way tips get reported varies according to whether they’re voluntary or involuntary tips. The new law is confusing to many small business owners.
Similarly, new tax laws that apply to overtime pay can feel overly complicated to employees and employers.
What happens if you don’t comply with these and other regulations? When it comes to taxes, making mistakes increases the chance that your business will get audited, which is never a pleasant experience. If you underpaid the government, you’ll likely face a fine in addition to back taxes, two unforeseen expenses that can disrupt your cash flow and growth plans.
Failing to comply with other standards can also lead to fines. In the worst cases, people held responsible could face jail time. That doesn’t happen very often when businesses make accidental mistakes, but it is possible.
How Strong Office Support Mitigates Compliance Risks
Administrative staffing accuracy can act as your first line of defense against compliance risks. But compliance risk prevention ultimately depends on finding workers who know how to follow instructions carefully.
Some of the most useful things experienced, detail-oriented office support can provide include:
- Implementing thorough documentation and record-keeping practices
- Creating and providing regular training that includes updates to any regulatory changes
- Using technology developed for compliance monitoring and reporting
When professionals provide these and related services, they can help mitigate compliance risks. Even if a problem slips through, documentation will show that your company did its due diligence. That could make the difference between receiving a small fine and having your reputation ruined.
Best Practices for Strengthening Office Support
Hiring qualified administrative staff members with expertise in regulatory compliance is the most important thing you can do to strengthen office support. Unfortunately, many companies find it difficult to determine which job candidates excel in this area. If no one in the company currently has this expertise, it’s very difficult to choose the right candidate. You can avoid this issue by partnering with a staffing company connected to a network of administration and clerical professionals.
Since regulations can change quickly, it’s important to give your office support access to continuous professional development and training programs. If your company’s HR department doesn’t have the resources to create and implement a training program, you can outsource the task. You can also turn to your staffing partner to find temporary or permanent employees who already have the latest training in office support compliance.
Finally, you should foster a culture of compliance throughout your organization. Administrative staffing accuracy depends on accuracy from other departments. Let’s say that someone in your accounting department doesn’t keep careful records about your business’s income. Perhaps that person rounds up or down to make their job a little easier. If that happens, your office support professionals might not catch the mistakes unless they perform detailed audits. It’s much easier to make sure everyone understands that they play crucial roles in compliance.
Partner With Snelling for Ongoing Compliance Risk Prevention
Not all companies are prepared to recruit and vet office support professionals. That’s why many of them turn to staffing solutions from Snelling. Snelling has a network of offices throughout the United States, so you can always find local talent ready to fill open roles.
Contact a Snelling office near you to learn more about how we can help you maintain ongoing compliance risk prevention.
