Is Your Independent Contractor Classification Process Off Key?

Does your company make independent contractor classification decisions based on the right criteria?

Many organizations forget that it isn’t what you call your ICs, but how you treat them.  Earlier this month, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found that symphony musicians in three different states were improperly classified as independent contractors.  While, in general, musicians have been classified as independent contractors by government agencies and the courts, these symphony musicians were being treated like employees.  Management set work hours, payment schedules, dress code, and behavioral standards.

Managers at many companies carefully orchestrate their projects, but forget to treat independent contractors differently from regular employees.  Independent contractors need to be, well, independent – free to choose how to complete a project.  This doesn’t mean that managers can’t have a say in what is done or the quality of the work.  Managers should, however, refrain from “pulling the strings.”

Read the entire NLRB decision here.

Striking a chord with managers on IC compliance can be difficult – but it doesn’t have to be.  Go to ICon to learn more.

Related posts:

1. How to encourage hiring managers to use your independent contractor compliance tools
2. Obama and the Independent Contractor Classification – Change You Need to Know Now!
3. Is your independent contractor talent happy?
4. Signs that your IC compliance program is working: Everyone is clear on the process. (Part 3 of 3)
5. A Unified Independent Contractor Classification Test for Workers’ Compensation and State Unemployment Insurance?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 10:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.