The Office of Compliance Initiatives promotes greater understanding of federal labor laws and regulations to prevent violations and protect Americans' wages, workplace safety and health, retirement security, and other rights and benefits. As part of its mission, OCI aims to expand, strengthen, and innovate the U.S. Department of Labor's outreach to workers, employers, and the regulated community. OCI works with the Department’s agencies to enhance targeted outreach and communication strategies, and ensure their activities are effective.
What We Do
Help workers and employers understand their rights and responsibilities under the regulations that agencies administer
Partner with agencies on innovative outreach as a complement to enforcement
Help prevent employment law violations, freeing up agencies to focus scarce resources on willful and repeat offenders
Areas of Focus
1. Outreach
Host forums to gather public input and feedback to inform processes
Expand upon Worker.gov, Employer.gov, and elaws Advisors
2. Innovation
Identify and share best practices to link with enforcement strategies
Create user-focused resources through testing and social listening
3. Culture
Build long-term relationships with external partners and stakeholders
Work to institutionalize innovative practices within the Department
Connect two networks of national office and field outreach staff from the enforcement agencies
4. Analysis
Identify outreach improvements through cross-agency activities
Help develop easily accessible resources for workers and employers
Resources
Worker.gov – Learn about federal labor laws that protect you at work
Employer.gov – Get answers to common questions about federal labor laws
elaws – Employment laws assistance for workers and small businesses