Equal employment opportunity. Fair labor standards. Minimum wage and overtime. Affirmative action. Sexual harassment. Family medical leave.

When it comes to navigating the labyrinth of workforce compliance issues, professionals in business and industry can turn to Dr. Robert K. Robinson, professor of management in the University of Mississippi School of Business Administration.

“My research has a practical business application the minute it comes out in print,” says Robinson, who has authored or co-authored more than 90 journal articles. “Primarily what it does is keep business professionals updated with changes in the compliance environment, so they can take a look at their policies and avoid legal challenges.

“We’re heavily regulated in the United States by the federal government. There’s not one aspect of human resource management that doesn’t come with a compliance requirement. All things can run afoul of the law if they are not carried out properly. My job is to help make sure they’re done properly,” Robinson says.

Consider one compelling reason for business and industry to pay strict attention to compliance issues: financial health. According to a Society for Human Resource Management study, the average employment litigation case costs an employer $240,000. In fact, recent figures indicate litigation accounts for 2.2 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.

Whether guiding businesses and industries, serving as lead textbook author (The Regulatory Environment of Human Resource Management), or teaching classes to help train future human resource managers, Robinson takes a different approach to compliance issues.

“If you pick up an employment law textbook written by lawyers, the text may explain, for example, that employers have to validate selection criteria for hires, but the text doesn’t explain how to do that,” says Robinson. “Lawyers tell employers it’s essential to have a strong sexual harassment policy, but they don’t provide the steps for putting together such a policy. I want to help employers beyond the legal requirements by integrating human resource practices and getting the job done.”

Robinson, who holds certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources, says that staying on the cutting edge of compliance issues in his research has a definite impact on his classroom teaching.

“My research keeps me extremely current on compliance issues, which is very important in my field. I don’t present University of Mississippi students with the history of human resource management; I tell them what regulatory compliance requirements are today. The goal is for my students to gain that core knowledge to pass the Professional in Human Resources exam — similar to an accounting student passing the rigorous CPA exam.”

The 18-year veteran of human resource management research also keeps his finger on the pulse of court rulings that have the potential for changing the complexion of business and industry. Implications of these court cases often are discussed in his classroom.

“Court rulings are more complicated and more ambiguous, giving the business world less concrete guidance. Take into consideration what happened recently with Grutter v. Bollinger, a U.S. Supreme Court case addressing college admissions. It could eventually be applied to employee relationships. Time will tell, but the requirements we’ve had for 17 years could be tossed out the window,” Robinson says.

“Another example is discrimination. Since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, the number of discrimination claims — instead of declining over time as one would expect — are actually increasing,” the UM professor says. “I don’t think it’s because employers are discriminating more, but the courts are adding to the list of things that can be actionable discrimination. We’ve gone all the way from discrimination involving denying someone a job opportunity to the point that discrimination can now be an insulting remark. That’s quite a leap.”

Whether studying the quantum leaps or the subtle changes in the regulatory environment, Robinson continues as a guide for his UM students — human resource managers of the future — and for business and industry. He’s one more leader in the School of Business Administration enhancing the art of business.