Work Matters! by Diane Faulkner, ACC, SPHR

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Florida, United States
Diane is an HR guru and coach whose work has led her to become an award-winning journalist and editor. She is a sought-after speaker on all-things-HR. Her work can be seen in national and international publications. She is also a radio host for the Radio Reading Service, WJCT, a National Public Radio affiliate.

Monday, February 06, 2012

Contract employee, independent contractor...(part 3 of 3)

--> When should I contract?
Well, if you know you want to have control over when and how work is done, as well as who does the work, then you should either hire an employee or do a temp-to-hire. Between the two, a temp-to-hire saves at least a contract's worth of employment expenses, so if total cost is a factor, choose temp-to-hire, at least for non-managerial positions.

If you need to have specific skill sets and experience right away, a temp-to-hire is also less expensive if the contract is short enough. You have control over how work is done as well as a double-probationary period (the temp-time as well as your own period), which is plenty long enough to see if you have a good personality fit.

If you need a specific project completed that requires a specialized skill set not found in-house and not typically offered through an agency, then an independent contractor is the way to go. No employment costs, no unemployment costs, and you can terminate whenever you want for any reason.

Knowing the difference among these three classifications, should you ever have a government audit, can save your company thousands, if not millions, of dollars, and may even keep you in business. Many a company has felt the pinch of Uncle Sam to the tune of $10,000 as a flat fine for breaking the FLSA law and the additional $1000 for every other incident found during an audit.

For more information on different employee statuses, audits, and fines, speak to a local labor attorney or go on-line to www.dol.gov/wage & hour.

Disclaimer I am not a licensed attorney or certified accountant. My blogs are based on my own experiences, interviews (where credited), and loads of research.

Copyright © 2009 Diane Faulkner


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