New Tools Now Available for Hiring and Managing Independent Contractors

Author: Michael Cardman, XpertHR Legal Editor

Hiring and managing independent contractors are among the most complicated tasks facing human resources professionals today. Many different factors must be weighed to correctly classify a worker, and no single factor is the final word. If that weren't challenging enough, these factors often vary significantly under both state and federal tax, wage and hour, unemployment and workers' compensation laws.

The risks of misclassifying an employee are significant, potentially including back taxes, workers' compensation, health and welfare benefits and other liabilities. Plaintiffs' attorneys continue to file lawsuits alleging misclassification, and the Obama administration is seeking more funding to combat misclassification.

To help an employer avoid liability, XpertHR is pleased to announce the addition of several new tools: