Every one of your employees should have filled out an I-9 form, which verifies their identity and their eligibility to be hired in the US. The revised form was just released on November 14th. You can start using the form now for new hires, but you must be using the new form by January 22, 2017. Current employees do not have to complete the new form as long as they completed a form previously.
The government is encouraging employers to file on-line and e-verify all new employees. You can go to https://www.uscis.gov/i-9 and download the PDF form if you don’t want to file on-line. Employers need to follow the existing storage and retention rules for all current I-9s that they have on file. Best practice is to keep current I-9s in a separate file in a lockable cabinet along with your active employee files.
Since we are half-way through the 4th quarter, it’s time to think about tasks that should be accomplished by the end of the year:
- Have you conducted your annual fire drill yet?
- If you have more than 15 employees in the State of NH, have you conducted four JLMC/Safety meeting this year? (These are normally held quarterly.)
- Have you conducted your annual refresher safety training with all employees?
- Have you completed an annual review of your hazardous chemicals?
It goes without saying that all those activities should be clearly documented. If you need help with any of them, please contact HR Compliance 101. We can help.
