Office of Compliance Assistance Policy
Showcase of Compliance Assistance Tools
A Closer Look at Popular DOL Employment Law Resources

Small Business Spotlight

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) offers a wide variety of compliance tools that help employers and employees understand their rights and responsibilities under various DOL employment laws.  The tools below are particularly useful for small businesses.

FirstStep Employment Law Advisor – Which Laws Apply to Your Business?

Located at www.dol.gov/elaws/FirstStep/, this free online tool helps employers simply and quickly determine which of DOL’s major employment laws apply to their business or organization.  Just as its name implies, it is a valuable “first step” resource for any business owner because it provides clear, easy-to-access information about how to achieve compliance.  To determine the laws applicable to a specific business, this Advisor poses questions, reviews the responses and generates a customized list of DOL employment laws that likely apply to the user’s business based on its number of employees and other factors.  More advice is just a click away, with each law linking to more in-depth compliance assistance resources.

And FirstStep is just one of more than 25 elaws Advisors – online tools that can give businesses personalized information on important DOL employment laws.  Visit www.dol.gov/elaws to learn about additional Advisors, all of which links to more detailed information such as regulatory text, fact sheets, and other compliance assistance materials.

1-866-4-USA-DOL– DOL’s Toll-Free Help Line

When business owners don’t know where to find answers to their workplace questions, they can call DOL’s Toll-Free Help Line.  The Help Line is a central access point to information on a range of employment rules and issues.  By calling 1-866-4-USA-DOL (TTY: 1-877-889-5627), individuals can speak directly to a customer service representative to find answers to questions about pay and leave, workplace safety and health, pension and health benefits, reemployment rights for veterans, and much more.

The Employment Law Guide – Obtain a Free Copy Today

This free publication describes 25 major laws enforced by DOL.  Written in plain language, it is geared toward employers who need introductory information to develop wage, benefit, safety and health, and nondiscrimination policies for their businesses.

The Guide’s overview allows employers to quickly identify which requirements may apply to them.  Each chapter also provides contact information for the DOL agency that administers the laws and regulations addressed in that chapter.  The Employment Law Guide is available in print and online.  To order a free copy, contact DOL’s Toll-Free Help Line at 1-866-4-USA-DOL (TTY: 1-877-889-5627).  Or, to download an electronic version in English or Spanish, visit www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/index.htm.

To subscribe to receive email-updates when new compliance assistance tools or resources become available, visit www.dol.gov/compliance/CA_subscribe.htm

Access this tool by visiting DOL’s compliance assistance Web page,
by e-mailing us or by calling our Toll-Free Help Line