Alpha Mechanical

Jordyn Eidsmoe

Construction Workforce Advisor

Labor compliance is not a one-person job. My job is to research the laws and understand the requirements, then make sure they’re applied consistently and correctly. HR cannot be everywhere at once, and I rely on our field management and field employees to understand the basics of what is required. It’s about building and maintaining team mentality. We all have a job to do, and we have to work together to ensure that we do our jobs as accurately as we can to keep the projects moving forward on time and within budget.

I constantly stress the importance of knowing where and why errors happen and to think proactively when staffing the project to mitigate errors that can be prevented. Building cheat sheets, flowcharts, and FAQ lists is essential so field management can quickly review if they need to. Our field staff knows that I’m available if they have questions, and if I don’t have the answer, I will research it for them or point them in the direction of the person who does.

Strengthening Labor Compliance through Accurate Timekeeping and Payroll

Many compliance problems in construction HR begin with the accuracy of information coming from the field. Accurate time coding matters because different projects have requirements that can go beyond standard California and federal labor laws.

On prevailing wage projects, field staff also need to complete daily reports for the general contractor. Those reports come to me so I can compare them with entries in the timekeeping system. If time is not coded correctly, the issue needs to be identified and resolved before payroll is processed. In many cases, the problem is not that work was performed incorrectly, but that it was not entered correctly. That is why training field staff on proper time entry and employee classification is so important.

These field-level controls also give payroll an important role in identifying and resolving compliance issues before employees are paid. Payroll is one of the first opportunities to catch compliance issues. We use an online timekeeping platform that tracks hours worked and job costing. I review the entries to make sure employees are paid for all time worked and are taking their required meal and rest breaks.

When something is recorded incorrectly, it may be a simple data-entry error that I can correct directly. In other cases, I need to contact the foreman for clarification and have the entry corrected. If an employee is working under a classification they do not normally use, I also want to understand why.

"People are more likely to follow compliance requirements when they understand why accurate coding and proper classification matter."

Addressing these issues before the paycheck is issued helps prevent the “fix it” panic that can follow a payroll error. I also look for recurring patterns. When the same mistake happens repeatedly, it signals a need for additional training or retraining.

Managing Construction Compliance through Systems and Consistent Processes

Balancing compliance requirements with day-to-day project demands becomes almost second nature when the work is organized around a consistent system.

There are many different regulations to keep track of, along with specific deadlines and recurring responsibilities. I have designated days of the week and month for certain tasks with fixed deadlines. This keeps each day prepared in advance and reduces the risk of overlooking important items. The system is more reliable than memory alone. When an emergency arises, I can set aside non-urgent tasks and return to them later. Because I work from daily checklists, I can quickly see what remains open from the previous day and reprioritize accordingly.

This structured approach to compliance also shapes how stronger compliance practices are built across the construction workforce.

Respect is central to that process. It is earned rather than given freely. I respect the responsibilities each person has and what each individual brings to the team. It is important to be pleasant to work with while also being firm when necessary. Not everything is an emergency, and no one deserves to be spoken to rudely or treated poorly. I believe field staff respect me because I am willing to help when needed. They also know that when I contact them, it is because I need something, just as I respond when they need assistance. Being approachable makes people more likely to ask questions before making a mistake.

I also try to explain the reasoning behind what I am asking someone to do. When employees understand why accurate coding and proper classification matter, they are more likely to pay attention to them. Most people are not going to follow a process simply because HR says so. They are more likely to follow it when they understand why it matters.