Robal's Blog

3 Things You Need to Hire Remotely

Written by Eric Gordon | Jan 17, 2024 6:39:08 PM

3 Things You Need to Hire Remotely

The way we work continues to evolve.  2024 is expected to bring less remote work flexibility, yet what will remain is the requirement of remote hiring.  In the last few years, departments have been scattered across the country at different company offices. The HR process will still be done remotely in the name of technology, sustainability, and competition.  Therefore, a remote solution will still be required.  Hiring remotely can come with plenty of difficulties, though, especially if you need to become more familiar with local or federal HR laws.

Regarding hiring remotely, I suggest educating yourself on the local, state, and federal HR laws. Many of the #HRIS solutions out there will guide you through the federal, state, and local tax forms. So, what are the main ways to hire remotely? Number one is to find an HRIS solution that allows you to capture employee’s tax forms. Secondly, you will need to make sure you have a way to I-9 your new employees. The last step is making sure your data is protected.

 

1. HRIS Solution 

What Is An HRIS Solution

An HRIS (human resources information system) solution is a system to keep employee records in one place. It also includes ongoing employee data management. An HRIS solution provides comprehensive employee data that includes name, address, date of birth, date of hire, benefits, and more. A good HRIS solution should provide your employees record keeping, reporting, and ease of use.

Why You Need an HRIS Solution to Hire Remotely

An HRIS solution is vital to efficiently managing the employee life cycle.  Ideally, an HRIS begins during candidate-to-employee conversion, i.e., through the tax documentation and collection of important work-required forms.  From the new employee’s perspective, they want to feel safe and secure by sending their personal information through an actual portal rather than through other non-secure avenues such as text, plain email, or fax.  An HRIS solution will also provide your staff with an easy way to manage all the new documents from employees all over. 

From the employer's perspective, an HRIS manages the lifecycle effectively and efficiently.  Providing audit trails, documents available for quality reviews, and other internal requirements at the press of a button.  Important documents like visas, annual licensing, and vaccinations are all tracked and flagged for follow-up, continued compliance, and enforcement. Take a look at our HRIS solution if interested. 

 

2. Remote I-9

What is an I-9 Form

The I-9 form is used to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. Up to May 2020, to complete an I-9 form, an employee must fill out the I-9 form and provide an ID from either List A or one from List B and one from List C. See the Form I-9 acceptable documents here. Once the form was completed and the employer scanned the IDs, the employer would then fill out section 2 of the I-9. If you are unaware, the USCIS changed I-9 requirements in May 2020 due to Covid 19 and employers hiring people to work from home. In August 2023, the USCIS made changes to the requirements. 

What Changes Did The USCIS Make in 2023?

On August 1st, 2023, on a go-forward basis, employers must physically see the identification documents utilized to prove employment eligibility in the USA. If you cannot see a new employee’s physical ID, you could have someone else I-9, your employee, like a notary, send them a photo of their ID. The USCIS said you could use technology to remote I-9 your employees or do a video call if you were registered with E-Verify.

How Does A Remote I-9 Work?

A remote I-9 uses software that allows a third-party verifier to review your employee's IDs and complete section 2 of the I-9. There are many remote I-9 products on the market that are perfectly capable, but before you decide on what product you are going to use, you need to make sure they have the following:

  • Audit trail capabilities 
  • Location tracking via IP address
  • GEO fencing capabilities

It is important whatever I-9 product you are looking into, the above components are available as the USCIS and ICE require them. 

 

3. Data Privacy

Data Privacy

Have you conducted a cyber risk study of your hiring process?  When new employees announce their new positions on platforms like LinkedIn, the employee and employer are immediately targeted by cyber criminals through fake gift card scams, fake direct deposit scams, and so on. 

When evaluating systems, look for self-service closed-loop systems.  In these systems, the communications and changes to critical data occur within the system after an entry through an MFA or 2FA methodology.  No emails or texts occur to HR requesting the changes to eliminate the phishing risk.

 

Conclusion 

If you are looking to hire remote workers, please look into an HRIS solution that provides a proper remote I-9 solution that believes in the security of you and your employee's private data. Robal's HRIS solution offers all of the above, and we would love the opportunity to speak with you about your HR tech solution to hire remote workers or to show you a free Demo of Robal