US Department of Labor announces compliance assistance tools to help employers understand federal labor laws, avoid violations

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division today announced the launch of several compliance assistance resources designed to promote greater compliance with federal labor laws and empower employers with the tools and knowledge they need to prevent violations.

The new tools include a compliance assistance webpage, a video series on the Family and Medical Leave Act, and revamped compliance assistance toolkitsfor various industries. In addition to encouraging proactive compliance among employers across the country, the resources also provide American businesses and workers with simple, straightforward guidance on understanding federal labor laws.

"The Wage and Hour Division is here to help employers make informed decisions about compliance so they can focus on running their businesses," said Wage and Hour Administrator Andrew Rogers. "We know that most employers want to follow the law and do right by their employees, so we are eager to offer these new resources to help them understand their obligations. We encourage American businesses and workers to take advantage of the new toolkits and FMLA videos, which are easy to use and available on our website."

Today's announcement follows the recent relaunch of the department's opinion letter program, which expands the department's longstanding commitment to providing meaningful compliance assistance that helps workers, employers, and other stakeholders understand how federal labor laws apply in specific workplace situations.

The division also offers the Payroll Audit Independent Determination programknown as PAID, to help employers self-report and resolve potential minimum wage and overtime violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and now certain potential violations under the FMLA.

Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search toolthat workers can use if they think they may be owed back wages collected by the division. Employers and workers can call the division with questions and requests for compliance assistance through the agency's toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243).