The compliance colleague
who already made
every mistake.
Plain-language playbooks for FMLA, ADA, I-9, and DOL audits — written for the person actually sitting in the hot seat.
Who are you today?
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Three violations that
blindside companies like yours.
Real penalty ranges from DOL enforcement actions in the past 18 months. These aren't hypotheticals — they're last quarter's headlines.
Missing I-9 Forms
8 CFR § 274a.10ICE audits increased 375% since 2023. One missing or improperly completed Form I-9 triggers per-document fines — and auditors request every form at once.
FMLA Notice Failures
29 CFR § 825.300Failing to designate FMLA leave within 5 business days — even when the employee never asked for it — is the #1 source of FMLA litigation.
Unpaid Overtime Exposure
29 CFR § 778Misclassifying an employee as exempt when they don't clear all three FLSA tests (salary, salary level, duties) creates 3 years of back-pay liability.
What most companies do.
What the law actually says.
The gap between these two columns is where DOL auditors live.
The conversation most managers have — and the one they should.
FMLA — The 5-Day Clock
Most companies wait for the employee to specifically say "I need FMLA leave" before starting the clock.
Under 29 CFR § 825.300, you must designate leave as FMLA within 5 business days of learning the reason — even if the employee never mentions FMLA. "My back is out" is enough to trigger your notice obligation.
Day one. The clock is already running on your I-9 window.
I-9 — The Paperwork Trap
Most companies collect I-9 forms on Day 1 and file them in the personnel folder with everything else — often using the old form version downloaded years ago.
I-9s must be completed by the end of Day 3 (not Day 1). They must be stored separately from personnel files. And as of 2024, Form I-9 Rev. 08/01/23 is the only valid version. Using an outdated form is itself a violation.
Good faith isn't optional — it's the legal standard.
ADA — The Interactive Process
Most companies respond to accommodation requests with a yes or no based on what seems reasonable, then document that decision.
The ADA requires an "interactive process" — a documented, good-faith back-and-forth dialogue. Skipping this process is itself a violation, even if the accommodation you denied was genuinely unreasonable. Courts look for the conversation, not just the outcome.
HR managers who stopped
holding their breath.
Real outcomes from real HR teams. No testimonials from "a satisfied client."
“We had 47 I-9 forms with the wrong version. ComplianceGuide caught it in the audit simulation before ICE did. That's a six-figure bullet we dodged.”
“I wrote our first employee handbook at 11 p.m. on a Thursday. By Friday I had a 40-page document that our employment attorney said was cleaner than most she reviews.”
“The FMLA module alone is worth it. I was manually tracking every leave request in a spreadsheet. Now I have a documented interactive process for every single case.”
“DOL auditor showed up with 3 days' notice. We pulled every document they asked for in 2 hours. The auditor literally said she wished more companies were this organized.”
“We had 47 I-9 forms with the wrong version. ComplianceGuide caught it in the audit simulation before ICE did. That's a six-figure bullet we dodged.”
“I wrote our first employee handbook at 11 p.m. on a Thursday. By Friday I had a 40-page document that our employment attorney said was cleaner than most she reviews.”
“The FMLA module alone is worth it. I was manually tracking every leave request in a spreadsheet. Now I have a documented interactive process for every single case.”
“DOL auditor showed up with 3 days' notice. We pulled every document they asked for in 2 hours. The auditor literally said she wished more companies were this organized.”
“The FMLA module alone is worth it. I was manually tracking every leave request in a spreadsheet. Now I have a documented interactive process for every single case.”
“DOL auditor showed up with 3 days' notice. We pulled every document they asked for in 2 hours. The auditor literally said she wished more companies were this organized.”
“I was terrified of our first ADA accommodation request. ComplianceGuide walked me through the interactive process step by step. We documented everything. Employee was thrilled.”
“We had a FLSA classification audit for 12 'exempt' employees. Turns out 4 of them didn't pass the duties test. We reclassified before the audit and avoided back-pay exposure.”
“The FMLA module alone is worth it. I was manually tracking every leave request in a spreadsheet. Now I have a documented interactive process for every single case.”
“DOL auditor showed up with 3 days' notice. We pulled every document they asked for in 2 hours. The auditor literally said she wished more companies were this organized.”
“I was terrified of our first ADA accommodation request. ComplianceGuide walked me through the interactive process step by step. We documented everything. Employee was thrilled.”
“We had a FLSA classification audit for 12 'exempt' employees. Turns out 4 of them didn't pass the duties test. We reclassified before the audit and avoided back-pay exposure.”
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