Lists differ, but a useful split for a staffing firm is three types. Regulatory compliance: the law. A missing I-9. Credential compliance: licenses and certifications the job requires. An expired nursing license. Contractual compliance: what the client's contract requires. A skipped site orientation. Each type has a different source, but all three are checked the same way: read the worker's file against a written list before the assignment is confirmed.
Regulatory: the law says so
These apply to every employer and every worker. Wages and overtime. Work authorization and the I-9. Anti-discrimination. Safety. Health coverage rules. The source is federal, state and city law, and the penalty for missing one comes from a government agency.
Staffing example: a warehouse crew of twelve starts Monday. Two I-9s were never completed because the recruiter was rushing. That is a regulatory gap, with a fine attached.
Credential: the job says so
These are the licenses, certifications and tests the role requires. An RN license. A forklift card. A commercial driver's license. BLS and ACLS. A TB test. The source is a licensing board or a certifying body, and the penalty is that the worker cannot legally or safely do the job.
Staffing example: a nurse's license expired last month and nobody checked the date. She is not allowed on the unit. That is a credential gap.
Contractual: the client says so
These are the things the client's contract or policy requires on top of the law and the credentials. Site orientation before the first shift. A specific background check vendor. Drug screening within 30 days. A badge photo. The source is the client, and the penalty is the client's trust and the next order.
Staffing example: a facility requires site orientation before shift one. The traveler shows up without it and is sent home. Nothing illegal happened. The contract was broken anyway.
Why the split helps
Each type has a different owner in most firms. HR for regulatory. A compliance coordinator for credentials. The recruiter or account manager for contractual. When a firm knows which type an item is, it knows who should own it and where the rule came from.
The one check that covers all three
Put all three types on one list per client and per role. Date it. Before any assignment is confirmed, read the worker's file against the whole list, every line, every time. Keep the record. That one habit is most of compliance, whatever type the item is.
Where M-Tracker fits
The per-client list with all three types is the standard. In M-Tracker, it lives with the client's project, and a worker file uploaded as the work is read against it before the assignment is confirmed, with a plain-words note on what is current, what is missing, and what is expired. One check, all three types, the same way for every file.
Try M-Tracker free14-day trial. No credit card. No employee surveillance.
Questions people ask
Are there other ways to split compliance?
Yes. Some use internal versus external, or legal versus ethical. The three above map best to how a staffing desk actually works.
Which type causes the most trouble?
Contractual, because it changes by client and nobody writes it down. Regulatory causes the biggest fines.
Who should keep the list?
One person, named, with the date it was last updated. If the client changes a requirement, the list changes the same day.
Work you can trust, without redoing it.
Your team gets feedback before work reaches you, or your client.
Copyright © 2020 – 2026 M-Tracker. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy