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And we always want to make sure you’re optimizing your processes for profit, efficiency, visibility, and legal compliance. Including areas that often get overlooked…
I keep seeing headlines about the arm wrestling over remote work, as it continues to be debated among US employers. More companies are demanding a full or partial return to the office, or at least stating their value for it and desire to track it more closely.
But workers have their own agenda: 42 percent of Gen Z would leave their current job for a remote opportunity.
That could be a tremendous hiring advantage for you, or a significant disadvantage, if you haven’t pivoted to remote or hybrid work models yet.
One often-overlooked area for Gulf Coast business owners with a geographically scattered workforce: I-9 verification in managing remote workers.
Let’s straighten out how to manage I-9 requirements for your remote team and ensure you stay compliant.
Managing Remote Workers Through I-9 Requirements: A How-To for Gulf Coast Businesses
“Red tape is usually wrapped around something valuable.” – Evan Esar
Let’s be real, the rise of remote work is both freeing and challenging. You can save costs on office space – but managing remote workers is no joke, like figuring out how to handle those I-9 verifications with employees scattered across the country.
You’re not alone in the confusion. There’s a lot of debate about the best way to handle I-9s for a scattered workforce.
Some folks really want to make verification for those remote workers a whole lot easier and faster – no more scheduling in-person meetings, dealing with paperwork delays, or unnecessarily dragging out the employee onboarding process.
They also argue that manual verification and data entry can lead to mistakes. Streamlined processes using electronic forms and verification tools potentially reduce these errors and subsequent compliance issues.
The primary concern to this more streamlined process is that remote verification opens opportunities for using falsified documents or identity theft. Others are concerned that during these remote checks, people with non-traditional names or documents might be unfairly flagged for extra scrutiny. Still others worry about privacy issues, with more government access to employee data.
The challenge is in creating a faster, easier system to accommodate the rising number of remote employees, while making sure it’s secure and fair for everyone.
Okay, what are the rules right now?
You already know this but just to be clear: All U.S. employers must properly complete Form I-9 for every individual they hire for employment in the US. If you’re managing remote workers and local employees, the rule applies to all of them.
And the temporary pandemic rule of just doing I-9 verifications over the phone expired in July 2023.
Now, you mainly have one option: e-verification. This means using a video call to check out your employee’s documents and filling out the updated I-9 form (there’s a special checkbox for confirming you did it remotely).
Alternatively, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration services website says, “Certain employers who choose to remotely examine the employee’s documentation under a DHS-authorized alternative procedure rather than via physical examination must indicate they did so by checking the box provided.”
How can I get enrolled in the e-verify system?
If you’re considering I-9 e-verification for onboarding and managing your remote workers, it’s a simple process. Head over to the E-Verify website and follow their instructions.
Their website is reporting that 1,500 new businesses sign up for the online verification system every week.
Does this mean you have to ditch the way you’ve been doing things for years?
No, e-verification is currently voluntary for most businesses, except for federal contractors and businesses in certain states with specific mandates.
But even without mandatory e-verification, there are ways to modernize your I-9 process while addressing some of the concerns. New technologies allow for secure remote document examination and storage, potentially reducing errors and streamlining the verification process, for both you and your employees.
As a business owner managing remote workers, it’s necessary to stay updated on the latest regulations and technologies so you can find the best solution that fits your company’s needs, whether it’s I-9s or 1099s. That’s what my team is here to help you do.
If you don’t have an advisor for your business and, after our last writing about the 5 reasons to have one in your corner, you’re ready to move in that direction, we’re right here:
Here to help make your business engine hum,
James Thomasson
