Mastering Multi-State Remote Work: Essential Compliance Tips for Employers – Rhamy Alejeal

Why Remote Work Compliance Is a Make-or-Break Issue

As remote work becomes the norm, employers face a complex landscape of state-by-state regulations—from workers’ compensation monopolies to paid-leave mandates and break-time attestations. Ignoring these multi-state labor laws not only risks costly fines and lawsuits but also undermines team morale and retention. In this episode of the Building the Premier Accounting Firm podcast, HR veteran Rhamy Alejeal, founder of People Processes, delivers actionable strategies to master multi-state remote work compliance and build a legally sound, high-performing distributed team.

Meet the Guest: Rhamy Alejeal, Founder of People Processes

Rhamy Alejeal’s passion for HR ignited at age 13, when “I cold called people turning 65 to ask them to meet with my grandmother about Medicare”. After earning degrees in financial and labor economics, he built People Processes into a leading fractional HR provider. Today, his team serves hundreds of firms with fully outsourced HR departments—empowering small and mid-sized businesses, especially in accounting and finance, to scale by prioritizing people and compliance.

Section 1 – The HR Imperative for Small Accounting & Finance Firms

Even firms with just five to ten employees can no longer treat HR as an afterthought. As Rhamy explains, “as soon as you reach even five, eight, ten employees, the act of management and structure around the people becomes relatively time-consuming”. Without formal HR processes, accounting professionals waste leadership hours on transactional tasks—time that could be better spent serving clients and growing the business.

Section 2 – Navigating the Multi-State Compliance Maze

Remote work brings unprecedented geographic complexity. What worked in Tennessee won’t necessarily satisfy California’s mandatory sexual harassment training or New York’s unique leave requirements for military caregivers. Rhamy calls this “the booger of multi-state employment” and recommends:

• Centralized Compliance Tracking: Keep a single source of truth for workers’ comp regulations, break-time rules, and state-specific policies.

• Automated Policy Rollouts: Ensure every remote employee acknowledges and stores the latest compliance documents.

• Quarterly Compliance Audits: Proactively identify gaps in mandated training or policy coverage

Section 3 – Tracking the Metrics That Matter

Data-driven HR turns compliance into a strategic advantage. Key remote workforce HR metrics include:

• Time-to-Hire & Time-to-Fire: Measure how long it takes to bring on—and, if necessary, release—employees, then optimize accordingly.

• Payroll Incident Rates: Monitor miscalculations and missed new-hire entries to safeguard compensation accuracy.

• Performance & Grievance Tickets: Leverage incident logs and grievance data to spot trends and address issues before they escalate.

Section 4 – Streamlined Onboarding & Offboarding for Remote Teams

Onboarding and offboarding are powerful levers for ROI. By halving the time from “I need an associate” to “they’re hired,” firms accelerate productivity and save leadership hours. Rhamy highlights:

• Integrated Onboarding Modules: Embed decision-making frameworks and core values training from day one.

• Automated Fit Assessments: Trigger performance checkpoints within the first 60–90 days to identify early mismatches.

• Structured Offboarding Checklists: Capture institutional knowledge and reallocate tasks swiftly when an employee exits.

Section 5 – Building a Scalable, Values-Driven Culture

Culture is more than a buzzword—it’s the glue for distributed teams. Rhamy defines it as employees making “the same decision as Roger when Roger doesn’t have anything written down”. To embed core values like responsiveness:

• Define Behavioral Criteria: Translate each value into clear, judgeable actions.

• Automate Recognition: Surface success stories aligned with core values through peer nominations.

• Align Rewards: Tie values adherence to bonus programs and performance reviews.

Section 6 – Unlocking Growth with Fractional HR Partnerships

For many accounting and finance firms, a full-time HR department isn’t feasible. Fractional HR partnerships offer a cost-effective solution: “CPAs and CFOs can refer clients to outsourced HR services and become stickier to their clients while generating new revenue streams”. Benefits include:

• Expert Compliance Support: Access specialized guidance without the overhead of an in-house HR team.

• Enhanced Client Retention: Solve critical people and compliance challenges that keep clients loyal.

• Expanded Service Offerings: Strengthen your advisory role with a holistic approach to people processes.

Key Takeaways & Next Steps

1. Centralize Multi-State Compliance: Create a single dashboard for all state-specific regulations.

2. Measure Return on Labor: Track time-to-hire, time-to-fire, payroll incidents, and performance grievances.

3. Optimize Onboarding & Offboarding: Use automated modules and fit assessments to boost productivity.

4. Embed Core Values: Define clear behaviors, automate recognition, and align rewards.

5. Leverage Fractional HR: Partner with experts to scale HR services and elevate client loyalty.

Ready to master multi-state remote work compliance? Listen to the full episode of Building the Premier Accounting Firm with Rhamy Alejeal for in-depth insights and real-world examples. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, share with colleagues, and visit People Processes to explore tailored HR solutions that help you stay compliant and scale with confidence.

Offers:

Elevate Your Services: HR Partnership Program for Finance Professionals: https://peopleprocesses.com/partnerprogram/

They have amazing discussions and education around how accountants can live their values through their work, creating and being the change you want to see in the world. All of their offerings are free.

Get a FREE copy of these books all accounting professionals should use to work on their business and become profitable.  These are a must-have addition to every accountant’s library to provide quality CFO & Advisory services as a Profit & Growth Expert today:

• “Red to BLACK in 30 days – A small business accountant’s guide to QUICK turnarounds” – This is a how-to guide on how to turn around a struggling business into a more sustainable model. Each chapter focuses on a crucial aspect of the turnaround process – from cash flow management to strategies for improving revenue. This book will teach you everything you need to become a turnaround expert for small businesses.
• “in the BLACK, nine principles to make your business profitable” – Nine Principles to Make Your Business Profitable – Discover what you need to know to run the premier accounting firm and get paid what you are worth in this book, by the same author as Red to Black – CPA Allen B. Bostrom. Bostrom teaches the three major functions of business (marketing, production and accounting) as well as strategies for maximizing profitability for your clients by creating actionable plans to implement the nine principles.
• “Your Strategic Accountant” – Understand the 3 Core Accounting Services you should offer as you run your business. help your clients understand which numbers they need to know to make more informed business decisions.
• “Your Profit & Growth Expert” – Your business is an asset. You should know its value and understand how to maximize it. Beginning with the end in mind helps you work ON your business to build a company you can leave so that it can continue to exist in your absence or build wealth as you retire and enjoy the time, freedom, and life you want and deserve.

Learn what it is you can do to become an author, leveraging your expertise to market your services effectively and get the clients you deserve.  This is a webinar you don’t want to miss.  Learn from Mike Capuzzi what a Shook is and how you can use it to position yourself as the Premier Accounting Firm in your area.  This is a must-see presentation so get ready to take some great notes.

In addition to becoming an author, see what you can do to follow the Turnkey Business plan for accounting professionals.  After more than 40 years we’ve identified the best practices of successful accountants and this is a presentation we are happy to share.  Check it out and see what you can do to be in business for yourself but not by yourself with Universal Accounting Center.   It’s here you can become a:

• Professional Bookkeeper, PB

• Professional Tax Preparer, PTP

• Profit & Growth Expert, PGE

Next, join a group of like-minded professionals within the accounting community.  Stay up-to-date on current topics and trends and see what you can do to also give back, participating in relevant conversations as they relate to offering quality accounting services and building your bookkeeping, accounting & tax business.

• The Accounting & Bookkeeping Tips Facebook Group
• The Universal Accounting Fanpage
• Topical Newsletters:
  • Universal Accounting Success
  • The Universal Newsletter

Lastly, get your Business Score to see what you can do to work ON your business and have the Premier Accounting Firm. Join over 70,000 business owners and get your score on the 8 Factors That Drive Your Company’s Value.

For Additional FREE Resources for accounting professionals check out this collection HERE!

Be sure to join us for GrowCon, the LIVE event for accounting professionals to work ON their business. This is a conference you don’t want to miss.

Remember this, Accounting Success IS Universal.

Listen to our next episode and be sure to subscribe.

Also, let us know what you think of the podcast and please share any suggestions you may have.  We look forward to your input: Podcast Feedback

For more information on how you can apply these principles to start and build your accounting, bookkeeping & tax business please visit us at www.universalaccountingschool.com or call us at 8012653777