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Whenever you get a new job, it can be easy to get lost in the new paperwork thrown your way. With agreements, offer sheets, company statements, etc., it can be easy to get lost in the madness. One of the most important forms that is filled out on the employee side is the W-9 form.
The W-9 form is an official IRS tax form that you fill out to verify your name, address and tax verification information for the income you receive. The information taken from the W-9 directly relates to how you receive your 1099 tax form which becomes important when it comes to tax-filing season. With it comes the TIN, or, your Tax Identification Number.
As an HR professional or new employee, here are some best practices to follow:
If it isn’t obvious already, filling out the entirety of the form is critical. Making certain that your name, address and social security number are present and accurate are key in making sure that your identity is verifiable. There are two main purposes for the form being completed. One of them being to confirm your identity, the other to make sure vendors are held accountable. This makes it so that vendors that aren’t reporting income, will get caught by the IRS.
The IRS requires that you obtain a W-9 form from a vendor by the time you file your tax returns, but its better to get them before you make the payment to the vendor. So typically, this is done at the very beginning of a hiring or contracting process.
This is one of the onboarding forms that often gets lost in the mix. With different tax systems in companies, there can be some small different procedures. However, most of the time there is a lot of paperwork involved to legitimize the process.
Often if you are a contract worker or are on the flip-side and hire a lot of contract workers – you should take note of how many different forms are being processed. Whether its a W-9 or a 1099, they are essential for tax purposes.
If you are a contract worker and have worked many different contract jobs, you have to keep your forms in one place. Keeping track of them throughout the year makes it easier to find when it comes time to file your taxes. On the other hand, employers or HR professionals should keep their 1099s ready for when January comes around.
Under the W-9 forms, the companies will not withhold any taxes for you. You are the one that has to be responsible when it comes to ensuring the right amount of taxes are paid. So get your W-9 forms in order and organized ahead of time, and save yourself the hassle later!
It comes as no surprise that non-profit organizations always need volunteers. This can be tough at certain parts of the year, or dependent on how the job market looks. An organization’s engagement with their audience can also fluctuate throughout the year, so they will always be in need of help in one way or another.
This is where driving prospects comes in. Volunteers come and go, move and retire, leave for another cause, experience life changes, etc. So how can you keep your volunteer count fresh and always reliable?
Here are some strategies to help drive new prospects:
A starting place for finding volunteers is to look where they already are! If you have already gained workers through different channels and have varying levels of rapport, there are good chances there for retention. Some may stay longer than others, but with the option for future contract work, they can still be made useful. Especially during times where remote work is possible, technology makes it easier to stay connected, stay productive with teams, and drive a mission forward!
Utilizing a staffing software helps streamline this process and helps keep your candidates managed in one place. With other features such as job boards, screening and onboarding tools, an applicant management system is really helpful when keeping tabs on candidates. So whether they stay or leave, they can always be reached via their stored contact information.
Running a contest or offering an incentive for volunteering is a great way to give back to those volunteers who donate their time. While they might do it out of the good of their hearts, this is something that might help get the word out initially to help bring them in. Having something such as a gift card giveaway to one volunteer or another prize could be really effective in getting people excited for helping a cause.
Another way to hype up your job opportunity is with the chance to get free swag. By that, I mean shirts, bags, mugs, keychains, etc. Anything free! People love free is stuff given away at a moments notice. These can also double as free advertising for your organization!
Last but not least, you can strive to do something incredible. Set a goal that is extreme, yet realistic. This can help gain attention among people, the media, and others around your organization. Making your event seem like a special and important opportunity will help volunteers stick around!
Someone being referred to a job or role is typically a better fit than a candidate just passing through and looking. The same goes for volunteers. Getting some word out to people about these volunteer opportunities can come in many forms and work wonders for driving applicants to your front door.
One of the first ways is to create some PR buzz. Traditional sources include the radio, TV and newspaper ads – however younger segments will be better reached on social media. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are key for these demographics, as this is typically a source of entertainment and news for the age group.
There can also be simple way to get more people to assist in your volunteer efforts. Just like referrals, someone can bring a friend or have donors volunteer. With things such as incentives to bringing volunteers that are friends, this can double and even triple your efforts. If they end up having a great experience, trying campaigns that can easily be shared on social media would benefit your organization by getting more free publicity out there.
Sometimes volunteers will initially reach out, interact or even help out in some way. Engagement is important at this step because the more engagement they feel, the more likely they are to feel accepted and appreciated. This simple act of gratitude in the form of a text or email can help keep volunteers around for the long-term.
Using these tips can help you strategize when it comes to recruiting volunteers, as well as finding ones that engage with your organization. Following these tips and related ones will help keep volunteers driving to be recruited and helping out with efforts across the board.
In today’s world, there are many different hiring practices. There are full-time workers, part-time workers, contract workers who freelance, contract-to-hire and so on. With contract hiring websites such as Jobble and Upwork, some positions can easily be filled seasonally or only when necessary.
On the other hand, hiring a full-time worker could be more impactful in the long-term for a company. With someone who has the skillset and the longevity for a given role, they grow in value as the company retains them.
So which is better – a contracted worker or a full-time hire? Let’s find out.
The pros to having a contracted hire is that they are a very flexible option for companies who want someone to fill a position. They help budgets, allow for trial, can be productive and can offer novel ideas. Whether you need a time-based or project-based hire, it makes for a very attractive option.
Giving a worker a project or two to work on rather than having a full-time employee busy some of the time is typically a cheaper option for companies with small budgets. Even when it comes to termination, typically that is done on the behalf of the staffing agency.
Hiring a contracted worker will allow you to get a good feel for a worker before committing full time. You want to make sure that a worker has both the skills and motivation needed for the job. With a trial, you’ll be able to gauge a sense of good-fit or not.
This hire also allows for new ideas. Say your employees are stuck in a groupthink situation where that fresh perspective has been lackluster. An outside hire can be really helpful in any situation to get some new ideas coming through the workflow funnel. Helping move projects and tasks that are in standstill is what makes companies succeed after all.
On the other hand, some believe that contract roles are killing upward mobility and there should be a balance complete with full-time workers. Full time employees are a fixed-cost and are compensated in accordance with their skills and experience level.
Does upward mobility matter to the job candidate? Does it matter to the employer?
After a worker has had some experience in a position, they do also become sort of an asset of value to the company. With previous experience, knowledge and a know-how for processes, this can be of great value to a company’s core mission. If you have contract hires who are working a project, but miss out on key details because they’re unaware – there’s missed opportunities.
There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to a company’s onboarding process. It seems that in the 21st century, many are looking to cut unnecessary costs wherever they can, which has led to more contract hires than ever before. With the internet as a tool, it is easier than ever to get some extra hands on a project. Full-time hires still obviously happen, and can prove to be very beneficial – to both the employer and employee.
So when it comes down to it, it is a matter of budget size and what you best believe fits your companies hiring needs. Do you need someone in and out, or do you need someone to stick around and embed themselves within your company’s mission?
