Stirring the Pot: Kathlyn Perez’s “Gumbo of Law” on Proactive HR & Compliance

Are you ready to trade in the frantic pace of putting out fires in the kitchen for a more proactive HR approach? Attorney Kathlyn Perez of Perez Law LLC took the stage at HR Gumbo to show how HR professionals can take control of their kitchens (workplaces!) with a proven HR Gumbo recipe for success - one that starts with making a perfect roux. 

Why HR Needs a Gumbo Recipe 

Kathlyn talks about how the roux for gumbo can be equated to companies’ foundational compliance work. It takes time and patience to get it right and if left unattended, it can burn, forcing you to start over or spend your time putting out fires. 

In this session, Kathlyn draws on her experience helping clients by highlighting real world examples and discussing: 

• The complexities of patchworking multi-state and federal regulations, missing crucial documentation, or skimping on investigations  

• How HR leaders should aim to be a trusted partner and advisor for their companies instead of always being perceived as the “no” person 

• Her “sort of secret” recipe for managing workplace compliance and risk, a handy acronym she has dubbed H.U.M.A.N. 

• • H: HELP! 

• • U: Understand the Legal Landscape 

• • M: Manage Proactively 

• • A: Assess Risk and Delegate 

• • N: Note Lessons Learned 

• A decision matrix that can help you prioritize how many dedicated resources each HR task will need 
  

Master the Roux, Enjoy the Fun Stuff 

The final takeaway from Kathlyn’s session? Nail the fundamentals - that’s your roux. Once you have solid compliance base with proactive policies, audits, and training, you can focus on the “fun stuff” like employee engagement and culture initiatives. In other words, if you’re always dealing with fires, you’ll never get to be the proactive, strategic HR leader your business needs. 

Watch this session here to spice up your compliance approach. This session was recorded live at HR Gumbo in October 2024. Tell us what you think of Kathlyn's discussion in the comments below.