There’s no question that compliance is an important aspect of any company’s HR operations. As lawmakers continue to revise employment legislation and new rules are introduced, compliance is taking on even more importance.

As a Canadian business expanding into the US, you know you need help managing your compliance. Even American small business owners get tripped up in the thousands of rules that may or may not apply to them.

You’re thinking about hiring an HR compliance specialist. There’s just one problem: There are so many to choose from. How can you find the best among the rest? Make sure you ask these five questions and you’ll be well on your way.

1. Ask What Risks They’d Advise You to Investigate

When selecting an HR compliance specialist in the US, the first step is to ensure they have the expertise you need. Check that the specialist has a background in the state you’re operating in, as well as your industry. Different industries and states have different rules, so hiring someone with this knowledge can help you navigate compliance with more ease.

One way to learn more about any specialists’ particular expertise is to ask them what risks they’d advise you to investigate, based on your industry or line of work. The answers they give will showcase their familiarity with rules you may have overlooked.

2. Inquire about Compliance Training

Another question to ask is how the HR compliance specialist will work with your employees to implement compliance programs. Employees might be unaware of rules they must follow or might be resistant to compliance.

Ask about the specialist’s experience in delivering compliance training for employees. How have they designed effective programs in the past? How have they overcome resistance they’ve encountered?

Their answers should shed light on the specialist’s experience dealing with both resistance and working with employees to improve compliance in the business.

3. Get Them to Describe Difficult Ethical Challenges

Compliance issues sometimes take on an ethical dimension, especially in HR-related tasks. An employee could ask for payroll to be conducted in a way that violates rules. An executive might support a policy that allows for discrimination on prohibited grounds. A department manager may not feel they must satisfy the requirements of reasonable accommodation. This list goes on.

Discuss with the HR compliance specialist about how they handle these sorts of difficult ethical questions. An experienced specialist should be able to describe situations they’ve both faced and successfully resolved in an ethically sound manner.

4. Ask Them to Outline a Successful Compliance Program

Another key point to remember is that you and your HR compliance specialist should see eye to eye on most aspects of compliance. If you want to do everything by the book and the specialist is more open to cutting corners, you may find yourselves at odds more often than not.

One way to avoid this situation is to have the specialist outline what a successful compliance program looks like for them. What are its main points? How do they set up internal controls? How do they measure success?

If their vision of successful compliance looks a lot like yours, then you’ve likely found a good fit.

5. Ask How Much They Save Their Clients

A final question to ask any HR compliance specialist in the US relates to value. The specialist will likely provide you with a quote for their services. Have the specialist provide a breakdown of the costs as they relate to each compliance service they offer.

You should also ask them how much, on average, they save their clients through better compliance management. Penalties and fees for non-compliance can be high, as can the cost of litigation. The right specialist helps their clients avoid these costs.

If you’re looking for HR compliance for your US expansion, start your search here. The experts are ready to help you improve compliance now.