Compliance regulations aren’t going away anytime soon. Even in the tangled sophistication of growing compliance requirements, most employers are aware of the need to complete a Form I-9, for every new hire. However, many employers don’t understand the significant implications of failing to fill-out the form correctly. A costly mistake to say the least, improper handling of the I-9 can result in fines into the six figures. In fact, as of Aug. 2016, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has increased the base penalties for failure to comply with the I-9 requirements, with civil fines now ranging from $375 to $3,200 per form. Whoa!
NEW, FORM I-9 THIS MONTH!
As the number of ICE audits continue to increase around the country, it’s important that HR personnel understand the process, and the options available to properly onboard their new hires, and save their company from unnecessary fines. Since the new Form I-9 must be used effective this month, it seems like a good time to share how our Xenqu technology performs in creating efficiency, while upholding strict compliance. It’s a platform that will save you time and money.
THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE
Believe it or not, one of the most common mistakes on the actual form is that the employer section is not filled out, or is filled out incorrectly. While stronger HR organizations use shear will power to ensure compliant forms make their way to employee files, Xenqu helps alleviate that problem with its form technology – applying complex validation to ensure forms cannot be completed until accurate information is entered. As a result, HR can clearly see the errors and act to ensure accuracy. This process removes the human error element, assuring that the form is completed in an efficient time and under compliance regulations.
E-Verify INTEGRATION
The process challenge in I-9s relates to using E-Verify to confirm eligibility to work. Some states have passed legislation making E-Verify mandatory for certain businesses, while other states require all employers use E-Verify, to compare information from an employee’s Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 to data from U.S. government records. Xenqu is fully integrated, and seamlessly passes information from the I-9 to E-Verify, so there’s no need to jump between systems and rekey data. Additionally, in some instances, there are issues that require the new employee to contact a government office to resolve mismatches. When these exceptions occur, someone has to keep track of it and ensure it’s completed. Xenqu automates the situation to help keep tabs on new hires not doing their required task, and alerts HR to needed action.
LET’S TALK ABOUT…COMPLIANCE?
Compliance issues may not be sexy to discuss, but we all understand the implications of falling short on regulations. When you consider the man hours required to onboard correctly, and then consider the costs associated when it’s done improperly, I think you have to consider another alternative to bring efficiency and accuracy.
Our efforts here at Essium have been to partner with companies and HR professionals, to help them overcome onboarding challenges, while maintaining strict compliance. We understand the daily challenges of work-flow, as well as the importance of properly assimilating new hires into the culture. Whether you use our Xenqu platform or not, we’re here to help you find a better way!
