KNOW WHAT COUNTS – Following Through
Most employers know Form I-9 must be complete within three days. Pretty simple, right? But there is a little more to it as Speedy Gonzalez Construction, Inc. (SGC) discovered after ICE inspected their I-9 records.
After a SIX YEAR LAWSUIT WITH THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT and $97,000 in fines, this construction company learned that completing Form I-9 just gets you half way there. The real trick is keeping up with it! SGC was unable to find over 100 of their I-9 Forms. Just like SGC, you have trained your hiring managers to complete and store Form I-9, but what are you doing to be sure these instructions are followed?
Don’t rely on blind faith!
- Calculate the retention date for terminated I-9s to avoid getting rid of Form I-9 too early.
- Periodically confirm that you have Form I-9 on file for each of your existing employees.
- Require hiring manager to proactively report the findings of the above actions to ownership regularly.
Ignoring your I-9 liability is not managing your I-9 liability. Just think, with a little effort, these fines and the SIX YEAR LAWSUIT could have been avoided.