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August 31, 2015 10:12 pm
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Hiring The Best Knowledge Workers, Techies & Nerds: The Secrets & Science Of Hiring Technical People
August 31, 2015 10:12 pm
Listed Price: $37.95
Good technical people are the foundation on which successful high technology organizations are built. Establishing a good process for hiring such workers is essential. Unfortunately, the generic met… Read more… 
Hiring Best Practices
July 23, 2015 11:58 pmHire a Contractor or an Employee?
June 3, 2015 12:54 amYour organization is taking the market by storm and the workload has gotten larger than that which you can handle on your own. You’ve gotten positive feedback on the implementation of your business plan and even gotten a small business grant for women owned businesses from your local Community Foundation. Now it’s time to add staff. But do you hire an employee or look for an independent contractor?
Independent contractors and employees are not the same, and it’s really imperative that you comprehend the major differences. Comprehending these specific differences can help you know what your first hiring move should be and influence how you withhold an assortment of taxes and steer clear of expensive legal penalties.
What’s the difference?
An Independent Contractor:
- Functions under a company name
- Has his/her own staff
- Keeps a different company checking account
- Markets their organization’s products and services
- Bills for work completed
- Has got more than a single buyer
- Provides own equipment as well as sets own work schedule
- Keeps organization information
An Employee:
- Does chores determined or controlled by other people
- Is provided training for work to be done
- Works for only one employer
A lot of small enterprises rely on independent contractors with regard to their staffing needs. There are lots of advantages to making use of contractors instead of using the services of employees:
- Savings in personnel expenses
- Lowered legal liability
- Flexibleness in acquiring and firing
Why Should It Make a difference?
Mistakes in classification of a worker as an independent contractor could have a number of costly legal implications.
Should your independent contractor is found to meet the legal meaning of a staff member, you may be forced to:
- Compensate them for earnings you should have compensated them within the Fair Labor Standards Act, together with overtime and minimum wage
- Make payments towards back taxes and fees and penalties for the purpose of state and federal taxes, Social Security, Medicare and unemployment
- Cover any existing unpaid injured personnel workers’ compensation benefits
- Provide employee benefits, together with medical care insurance, a retirement plan, and so forth
Tax Requirements
Visit the IRS Independent Contractor or Employee self-help guide to read about the taxation implications of either circumstance, get a hold of and fill out a form to have the Internal revenue service officially verify any workers’ status, and locate relevant information.
Employment Info
There isn’t a particular assessment for identifying if someone is definitely an independent contractor or an employee using the Fair Labor Standards Act. Having said that, the subsequent guidelines ought to be taken into account:
The particular degree which the help rendered are a fundamental element of the particular principal’s small business
The permanence of the business relationship
The amount of the assumed contractor’s investment in facilities and devices
The makeup and level of control by the business owner
The alleged contractor’s possibilities to make money
The degree of initiative, judgment, or foresight in open market competition with others that is required for the success of the claimed independent contractor
The degree of independent enterprise organization and operation
Whether or not an individual is an independent contractor or an employee usually is determined by how much control used by way of company over the work being done. Study Equal Employment Opportunity Laws – Who’s Covered? for additional info on the way to determine whether one is an independent contractor or an employee, and also which are covered according to federal laws.
Pre-Employment Background Checks
June 3, 2015 12:22 amGetting the right people to support your small business can be critical to your success. Knowing as much as you can about employees before they come on board is vital.
The following list includes the kinds of information that companies commonly consult as part of a pre-employment check, and the laws governing what constitute a legitimate investigation.
Credit Reports
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), businesses should get a worker’s authorization prior to seeking an employee’s credit report. If you choose not to promote or employ somebody based upon information in the credit report, you have to offer a copy of the report and let the candidate or employee understand his or her right to challenge the report under the FCRA. Go to the FTC s Bureau of Customer Security s website to learn more.
Criminal Records
To what level a personal company may consider an applicant’s criminal history in making hiring choices varies from state to state. Due to the fact that of this variation, you ought to seek advice from a legal representative or do more legal research on the laws of your state before checking out whether or not a candidate has a criminal past.
For Federal Bureau of Examination (FBI) checks, consult these resources:
- FBI Solutions for Businesses
- FBI Wrongdoer History Checks for Employment and Licensing
- FBI Checks on Staff members of Banks and Associated Entities
Lie Detector Tests
The Employee Polygraph Defense Act restricts most personal employers from utilizing lie detector tests, either for pre-employment screening or during the course of work. The law includes a list of exceptions that put on companies that supply armored vehicle services, alarm or guard services, or those that make, disperse, or dispense pharmaceuticals.
Even though there is no federal law particularly prohibiting you from utilizing a composed sincerity test on job candidates, these tests frequently violate federal and state laws that protect against discrimination and violations of personal privacy.
Medical Records
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers can not discriminate based upon a physical or mental impairment or request a worker’s medical records. Businesses can, nevertheless, ask about a candidate’s capability to carry out specific job duties. Some states also have more powerful laws securing the privacy of medical records.
Bankruptcies
Bankruptcies refer public record and might appear on an individual’s credit report. The Federal Bankruptcy Act restricts employers from victimizing applicants due to the fact that they have actually declared bankruptcy.
Armed force Service
Military service records might be launched just under restricted situations, and authorization is typically needed. The armed force may, nevertheless, divulge name, rank, salary, responsibility projects, awards and responsibility condition without the service member’s consent.
School Records
Under the Household Educational Rights and Personal privacy Act and comparable state laws, instructional records such as transcripts, suggestions and monetary details are private and will not be launched by the school without a student’s authorization.
Employees’ Payment Records
Workers’ compensation appeals are a matter of public record. Information from an employees’ payment appeal may be made use of in a paying for decision if the company can reveal the candidate’s injury may disrupt his ability perform required tasks.
Elements of Employment & Labor Law for Startups
April 30, 2015 9:19 pm
Getting your first employee or building your business team creates along with it another area for compliance – employment and labor law.
These laws cover everything from protecting against discrimination as well as harassment inside the workplace, office poster demands, wage and hour regulations and workers’ compensation rules.
The U.S. Department of Labor manages federal government employment and labor rules; however, individual states also have their own specific legal guidelines. In order to help you understand and abide by these laws, reference the following small enterprise guides and sources.
- Find out which Government Employment Laws Apply to Your Company – This online resource from the Department of Labor – the “FirstStep Work Laws Advisor” – will assist you to determine which regulations pertain to you and how you can abide by.
- State Work Laws and regulations – Each individual state has its particular laws that you must comply. This site contains links to your state labor office.
- Browse Laws and regulations by Classification – Acquire easy-to-understand information and facts concerning various federal government employment laws and regulations utilizing this “eLaws” on the web tool from the Department of Labor.
Find Information by Subject Gain access to the most frequently asked search engine terms and also subjects from the Department of Labor. - Employment Law Guide – This extensive guide describes significant work regulations that impact companies and is designed for those needing “hands-on” information to develop salary, benefit, safety and health, and nondiscrimination procedures.
- 10 Steps to Selecting your Very first Staff member – These 10 basic techniques will guide you through what you must do once you hire your initial employee.
Hiring Your First Employee
April 23, 2015 11:30 pmIf your company is growing, however you are having a hard time keeping up, possibly it’s time to pay add staff.
The 8 steps below can assist you start the hiring process and guarantee you are compliant with crucial federal and state policies.
Step 1. Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN).
Before employing your first employee, you have to get a Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The EIN is often described as an Employer Tax ID or as Form SS-4. The EIN is essential for reporting taxes and other documents to the IRS. In addition, the EIN is necessary when reporting details about your staff members to state firms. You can obtain an EIN online or call the Internal Revenue Service at 1-800-829-4933.
Step 2. Establish Records for Withholding Taxes.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, you have to keep on records of employment taxes for at least four years. Maintaining good records can also help you keep track of the development of your company, prepare financial statements, determine sources of receipts, keep an eye on deductible expenses, prepare your income tax return, and support items reported on income tax return.
Below are three types of withholding taxes you require for your company:
- Federal Income Tax Withholding – Every employee must provide a company with a signed withholding exemption certification (Form W-4) on or prior to the date of employment. The company needs to then submit Form W-4 to the Internal Revenue Service.
- Federal Wage and Tax Statement Every year, companies must report to the federal government salaries paid and taxes kept for each worker. This report is submitted needing Form Wage, tax and w-2 statement. Employers should finish a W-2 form for each employee who they pay a wage, wage or other payment.Employers should send Copy A of W-2 forms to the Social Security Administration by the last day of February to report salaries and taxes of your employees for the previous calendar year. In addition, employers should send out copies of W-2 kinds to their staff members by Jan. 31 of the year following the reporting period. Check out SSA.gov/ employer to learn more.
- State Taxes – Depending upon the state where your employees are located, you may be had to withhold state income taxes. Check out the state and local tax page to learn more.
Step 3. Worker Eligibility Verification.
Federal law needs companies to validate a staff member’s eligibility to work in the United States. Within three days of hire, employers should complete Form I-9, work eligibility verification, which needs employers to analyze documents to verify the employee’s citizenship or eligibility to work in the U.S. Employers can only request documentation defined on the I-9 form.
Companies do not have to send the I-9 form with the federal government however are required to keep them on file for 3 years after the date of hire or one year after the date of the worker’s termination, whichever is later on.
Employers can utilize details provided from the Form I-9 to digitally validate the employment eligibility of freshly minted staff members by registering with E-Verify.
Step 4. Register with Your State’s New Hire Reporting Program.
All employers are required to report newly employed and re-hired employees to a state directory site within 20 days of their hire or rehire date. Check out the New Employees Reporting Requirements page to get more information and discover links to your state’s New Hire Reporting System.
Step 5. Obtain Employees’ Compensation Insurance.
All companies with staff members are required to provide employees’ compensation insurance coverage through an office provider, on a self-insured basis or through their state s Workers’ Compensation Insurance program.
Step 6. Post Required Notices.
Companies are required to show particular posters in the work environment that inform employees of their rights and company responsibilities under labor laws. See the Workplace Posters page for specific federal and state posters you’ll need for your business.
Step 7. Submit Your Taxes.
New and existing employers should seek advice from the Internal Revenue Service Employer’s Tax Guide to understand all their federal tax filing requirements.
Step 8. Get Organized and Keep on Yourself Informed.
Being a good employer doesn’t stop with satisfying your various tax and reporting responsibilities. Maintaining a fair and healthy workplace, providing advantages and keeping on employees notified about your business’s policies are key to your commercial’ success. Right here are some additional steps you need to take after you’ve employed your first employee:.
Establish Recordkeeping.
In addition to requirements for keeping on payroll records of your workers for tax functions, particular federal employment laws also require you to keep records about your workers.
