USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) has announced that Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (Rev. 02/02/09) will continue to be valid for use beyond June 30, 2009 (the expiration date stated on the form).

To read their announcement Click Here

USCIS has asked the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the continued use of the current Form I-9. Once the extension is approved by OMB, USCIS will update Form I-9. While this request is pending, the current Form I-9 (Rev. 02/02/09) will not expire. After approval, employers will be able to use either the Form I-9 with the new revision date or the Form I-9 with the 02/02/09revision date.

To access the current form Click Here

There are many ways hiring interns can add value to your organization. They can minimize the impact to your hiring budget. They may work on projects that need to be completed that free up your experienced employees to work on more complex assignments. Oftentimes interns will bring new ideas and energy into an organization. They may even become great full-time employees who are already trained in job functions and are therefore immediately productive.

When considering a Paid Internship, be thinking of the following:

* Even though you are required to only pay the Federal or State minimum wage, consider the education and knowledge of the students you want to hire.
* Consider the job requirements, skills and responsibilities necessary for your internship. Will your intern need to perform basic skills, or will they be asked to perform duties that require a higher level of expertise?
* If you are not sure what the fair market wage is for the position you want to fill, make a quick call to your local college or university and ask for the career development office, or contact another local business to see what they pay. Most employers are happy to share information with you.

When considering Unpaid Internships, be thinking of the Department of Labor’s Criteria:

Federal and State Laws dictate whether a particular job is considered an internship or a paid worker position. Although the Department of Labor doesn’t use the word intern, or provide a definition of such, they have developed criteria to determine if a learner/trainee is a paid employee entitled to minimum wage and all other applicable laws, or a learner/trainee that is unpaid or paid a stipend. The definition of employee differs from labor laws and workers compensation state laws as well. Please be sure to check all applicable state laws in addition to federal regulations.

The 6 criteria developed by the Department of Labor that must be met in order for the positions to be an Unpaid internship are:

1. The training, although it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to the training which would be received from a vocational school.
2. The training must be for the benefit of the intern.
3. The intern must not displace regular employees, but work under the close observation of a regular employee or supervisor.
4. The employer provides the training and derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern, and on occasion, the operations may actually be impeded by the training.
5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the end of the internship.
6. Both the intern and the employer understand that the intern is not entitled to wages. A student may be able to receive a stipend however.

All of these criteria must be met in determining if the intern is a paid employee or a learner/trainee.

Of these 6 criteria, three of them are very straightforward:

* #3 - the intern cannot displace regular employees
* #5 - the intern is not guaranteed a job at the end of the internship
* #6 - the intern is aware and has agreed there are no wages due

The other three criteria are more open to interpretation. Be sure to verify state labor laws. Other areas to be considered when hiring a student are Federal and State Child Labor and Workers Compensation Laws.

Once you have developed a job description and the wages have been determined, be sure to let your employees know that you are hiring. Employees are oftentimes the best source for referrals. And don’t forget to spend your money wisely. Interview the interns like you would a full-time employee. Do a few reference checks with their prior employers if possible, or contact a professor. The job may only be for the summer, but if you hire poorly, it can be a long summer.

If you are struggling with some issues on the Cobra Subsidy Provision of the recent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, this may help. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has compiled a list of 58 questions and answers including involuntary termination, assistance eligible individual, and payments to insurers.  For guidance on these issues and more simply Click Here.

To get more help on COBRA and other HR related issues check out the HR Made Simple Kit powered by HRSentry.

As the internet becomes more and more a part of our everyday lives increasing our communication and productivity, it also comes with an increase in risks. Whether its employees using personal computers at work, bashing the company in online forums, or viewing non-work related sites on the clock, the internet provides a myriad of problems for HR.

There are a number of simple, cost effective steps one can take to greatly decrease the odds of falling victim to some sort of internet abuse. The following article from HRTechNews discusses several of these practices:

Protect your reputation

The lesson for companies: Once something negative appears online, it’s tough — if not impossible — to make it go away. In this day and age, any disgruntled employee, former employee or customer can do a fair amount of damage with a few keystrokes and a click of the mouse.

The best solution, of course, is to never give anyone a reason to complain — but anyone in HR knows that’s impossible. Here are some more realistic ways to prevent serious damage:

* Work to maintain a positive Web presence (for example, by having employees contribute to blogs and discussion forums).
* Encourage managers to listen to complaints and seek out constructive criticism. Often, employees seek alternate ways to complain because they feel they have no other place to go.
* Write computer policies that prohibit employees from writing derogatory comments about the company and its employees.
* Consider having some or all employees sign confidentiality agreements that ban defamation, or include non-defamation provisions in separation agreements.

By following the above guidelines consistently you will create a culture of responsible computer use that will lead to a more positive brand image online.  Looking where to begin?  Grab computer use policies, waivers, and codes of conduct from the HR Made Simple Libraries.