Employer Responsibilities

Hiring Employees

From meeting state and federal regulations to insuring your workers.

As an employer, it is your duty and personal responsibility to take care of your employees. Your employees are just as much a part of your business as your products and customers are. There are certain responsibilities that you are held accountable for providing for your employees.

First, as an employer, you are expected to treat your employees fairly. You are prohibited from discriminating against current or potential employees based on race, color, creed, national origin, gender, military service, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, sex, religion, age, disability, or handicap. You must be impartial in your selecting, testing and hiring of all your employees.

In your work environment, you are responsible for protecting your employees. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), you must provide a safe workplace free from serious hazards that complies with OSHA’s standards. You must provide your employees with safe tools and safety equipment and make sure that this equipment works properly and is in good condition. You must also provide safety training when necessary. There is a list of things OSHA requires and suggests for employers to provide a safe and effective work environment.

You are required by the federal government to provide a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, but your state or city might have their own laws regarding minimum wage. Also, employers are required to pay overtime wages after an employee exceeds 40 hours of work per week. Overtime wages can be no less than 1.5 times the employees’ standard salary.

There are also administrative responsibilities that you have, such as filing for taxes. Every employee must submit a W-4 tax form to you on or before the date of employment. You must submit to the Social Security Administration a W-2 tax form by February every year so that your employees can file their taxes. Within 3 days of employment, you must verify your employee’s work eligibility by having them fill out an I-9 form. You must keep tax records for your employees for at least 4 years. In addition, you must report new hires or rehires to your state directory within 20 days. Most employers must also provide Workers’ Compensation Coverage and Unemployment Insurance for their employees.

You care for your employees and appreciate the hard work that they provide for you. Providing your employees with a positive working environment allows your business to work effectively and smoothly and it keeps your employees satisfied.

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