The top 5 Business Compliance Mandates You Must Meet

Business compliance laws are always changing, and it can be difficult for companies to stay on top of the latest mandates.

This article will provide a comprehensive guide to understanding the five most important business compliance requirements that every organization needs to meet to stay compliant with federal regulations.

We will also discuss how Adobe PDF accessibility training can help businesses ensure that they are meeting these critical requirements.  

Accessibility in business

Different types of accessibility businesses must consider are:

1. Physical accessibility: This refers to the ability of people with physical disabilities to access your business premises and facilities. This includes factors such as wheelchair access, braille signage and wider doorways.

2. IT accessibility: This covers the accessibility of your business’s IT systems and software for employees and customers with disabilities. This includes provision of screen readers, alternative keyboard controls and text-to-speech output.

3. Web accessibility: Your business’s website must be accessible for disabled users, ensuring it can be navigated using assistive technologies such as screen readers, pdf training and providing alternative multimedia content.    

4. Employment accessibility: Your business must make reasonable adjustments in the workplace to accommodate employees with disabilities, such as providing specialist equipment or adapting training materials.     

5. Customer service accessibility: Customers with disabilities must be able to access your goods and services in the same way as anyone else.

This includes ensuring your staff are trained in equality and diversity issues and providing alternative formats for information upon request (e.g. Braille or large print).    

PDF and document accessibility for disabled

As business moves increasingly online, it’s critical to ensure that your PDF documents are accessible to disabled persons.

By making your PDFs accessible, you can provide a better experience for all your customers and ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Once your PDFs are compliant, you can provide training to your employees on how to properly tag and manage accessibility features.

For the pdf accessibility training, you’ll need to follow some best practices for creating and tagging your documents. This will ensure that everyone in your organization knows how to make your content accessible. 

Labour requirements and rules

The Department of Labor (DOL) enforces more than 180 federal laws regulating the labor landscape in the U.S.

The DOL is responsible for ensuring that workers are fairly compensated, have safe working conditions, and are not subject to discrimination.

It also administers programs such as unemployment insurance and the minimum wage. employers who violate DOL regulations can be fined, and may also be required to pay back wages to employees who have been harmed.

You can file a complaint with the department if you believe your employer has violated a DOL regulation.

The most common complaint filed with the DOL relates to wage and hour violations, such as not being paid overtime or less than the minimum wage.

HIPAA – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996)

To comply with HIPAA, businesses must physically safeguard personal health information, including ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to such information and that it is stored in a secure location.

They must also ensure the confidentiality and integrity of electronic protected health information, including implementing security controls to prevent unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

Finally, they must ensure that any third-party service providers with whom they share protected health information uphold these same standards of security and confidentiality.

Failure to comply with HIPAA can result in significant monetary fines and even imprisonment. Therefore, it is essential for businesses to have a clear understanding of the requirements of the law and to put measures in place to ensure compliance.

Payment of taxes

Paying taxes is a critical part of running a business. The IRS requires businesses to pay various federal taxes.

Your business entity, such as a sole proprietorship, limited liability company or corporation, determines which taxes you have to pay.

Employer taxes, for example, apply to businesses with employees. Failure to pay your taxes can result in hefty penalties and interest charges.

Other than that, all states have some business tax, the most common being a corporate income tax. However, a few states also require a “franchise tax.”

This is a tax that corporations or LLCs must pay to operate within the state. The amount of the franchise tax varies from state to state. It is usually calculated using a formula that considers the business’s size and revenue.

The good news is that most states offer some sort of exemption for small businesses, so if you’re just starting, you may not have to pay a franchise tax.

Also, having insurance is another important compliance mandate for businesses. This helps protect your business from potential liabilities arising from accidents, injuries, property damage, lawsuits, and other unforeseen events.

Depending on your business type, you may be required to carry certain types of insurance. For example, most businesses must carry workers’ compensation insurance if they have employees.

Final Takeaway

Business compliance mandates are vital in keeping your corporation compliant with legal regulations and ensuring all employees’ safety. Reviewing and researching each mandate helps businesses stay up-to-date on applicable laws and prevent potential liabilities from occurring.

As a business owner, it is important to be vigilant when understanding current laws set by national, state, or local governments to keep their company running smoothly.

Read more business articles from our guest authors at SugerMint.