SOP: Hiring Overview and General Procedures Revision COR110110
SOP001-03 RevCOR110110
General Overview of Hiring Procedures
Hiring
Recruiting
Finding Applications
a. Word of Mouth
1. The best source for finding applications is from your own employees. I have been fortunate enough that my employees are constantly turning in applications of friends or relatives.
2. Interpreter - I usually have one interpreter that I deal with. Your interpreter is usually your best resource for recruiting. If you tell your person you need people, it usually only takes a couple of days to get applications.
b. Advertising – I usually only need to advertise for skilled labor
1. Columbus Dispatch
2. Employment Guide
3. Monster.com – Managerial
4. La Voz Hispana
c. Sign – We do have a couple of hiring signs. The signs are kept in the Maintenance Garage. You can call maintenance to have the signs put out.
Reviewing Applications
A. Police Checks – I will only take applications if they have a police background check attached to the back. A record check should come from the person’s residing county. If you live in Franklin County, you can obtain a police background check from the Franklin County Sheriff Department the records department. The person will need their state issued ID or Birth Certificate and $.05 for the cost of the paper. The address is 370 South Front Street. The security guards have been instructed to only take applications if they have police background checks.
B. Why Police checks?
1. Due to our U.S.Customs Bonded Status, we are unable to hire anyone who has designated restrictions by the U.S. Government. It is written in our Customs contract agreement that they reserve the right to request a list of our employees at any time for any reason to verify that we have not hired someone that doesn’t meet their criteria. Although to my knowledge this has never happened, the possibility does exist. These restrictions are but not limited to the following:
a. Any type of Felony
b. Any type of Drug charges
c. Any type of concealed weapon charge
d. Any type of theft charges.
2. The police check gives some great information about the employee. It lists all of the charges that a person has occurred from 1987 to present. One record can say a lot about a person.
Interviews
a. Conducting the interview
1) Give a brief overview of your facility and Company.
2) Verify information on the application.
3) Ask questions about employment gabs, inconsistencies and unusual information.
4) Negligent Hiring – The company can be held liable for actions of an employee if we do not do a thorough investigation on an employee.
5) Give a detailed job description.
6) Ask only job related questions
7) Go over “Seasonal Employment Policy” and criteria for becoming full-time (Full-time status is never guaranteed).
b. Do’s and Don’t
1. Age.
a. You can ask if person is 18 years of age or older.
b. Do not ask questions inquiring about age, birth date or when they attended school.
2. Disability.
a. You can ask specific question to determine applicants ability to do specific job tasks
(Can you lift in excess of 20 lbs?).
b. Do not ask questions to gather information about their disability, current or past medical conditions (Example: Do you have asthma?, Have you ever filed for workers comp?)
3. National Origin.
a. You can ask if the person is a U.S. Citizen or if they are authorized to work in the U.S.
b. Do not ask questions about the person’s place of birth or national origin.
4. Gender. Do not ask any question that inquires about gender, marital status or dependents.
5. Race. Do not ask any question inquiring about race or color.
6. Arrests/Convictions.
a. You can ask about convictions of specific crimes related to qualifications for the job.
b. Do not inquire about arrests. Do not ask about convictions of crimes that are not qualifications of the job.
Rehires - A thorough investigation needs to be done before an employee is
rehired. The person’s file needs to be pulled and looked over carefully to insure that the person is worth hiring again. If the employee is marked not re-hirable, we can not rehire the employee. Occasionally, a supervisor will change their mind and want to rehire the employee. If that is the case, Todd Davis has to approve the change. A new application and police record is required. The paperwork that needs to be filled out is a Change of Status, W-4 and Ohio State tax. Verify that all the paperwork in the employee’s folder is accurate and update the I-9.
Orientation
Purpose - The main importance of orientation is to be pro-active and educate new employees on our policies. Employees will no longer be able to say “I didn’t know, I was not aware of a policy or procedure”. You will be able to dispute that statement by stating “it was gone over in orientation”. The situation can apply to any disciplinary action and especially in a court of law. The courts want to see that the information was gone over with the employee and explained to them. You can no longer hand the employee a packet saying “read this” and “sign here”. The information needs to be explained to the employee.
Employee orientation Checklist - The purpose of this form is to have a step by step guideline of what information you need to go over when we hire an employee. The form also keeps all of the information consistent for each employee. For example: an employee can not claim he or she did not know to clock in because it was gone over in orientation. You will need to go over all information on this form including the forms that he or she will be filling out.
Change of Status - The purpose of this form is to summarize all of the information on one page to input for payroll. The form needs to be filled out in it’s entirety.
1. Employee name: The employee’s name should be written as it appears on the employee’s social security card.
2. Effective date: Person’s start date.
3. Social Security Number
4. Reason: Check Hire or Rehire.
5. Section A: All personal information needs to be filled out.
6. Section B: Indicate their rate of pay.
7. Section C: Job Information
b) All employees start as seasonal or part time.
c) Indicate what shift the person is on.
d) Dept: Indicate what location/department he or she is working (ex: TX, La Mirada, SC, FL, Columbus –Packaging, Ball Bounce and Sport, Operations, SPJ)
e) Resident Alien? Y or N Ins Exp date:_____________ Put in the employees expiration card of their green card. There are 2 cards – Permanent Resident and Alien Resident. Most employees have the Permanent Resident. If the employee has an Alien Resident card you circle yes otherwise circle no.
8. Section D: Tax Information
a) Indicate if they are married or single.
b) Indicate how many exceptions the person wants to claim for both federal and state.
(The more exemptions they claim the less money is taken out for taxes. The more money taken out of each paycheck, the bigger the refund at the end of the year, or you could end up owing if not enough is taken out. Exemptions start at 0. A single person with no dependents will usually claim a 0 or 1 depending on how they want their money taken out. The person can add one exemption for each dependent they want to claim. Exemptions are usually the same for both federal and state.)
c) Additional withholdings: On the occasion on employee will want an additional amount taken out for their taxes.
9. Section G:Sign off and date the form
Investigation Agreement: This form gives us permission to release the person’s finger prints to see if they have ever been convicted of a felony. It also notifies the employee that they will be terminated if a felony conviction comes back on their record. The form currently only applies to the Custom bonded warehouse in Columbus, OH.
Tax forms:
1) State tax form: Name, address and Social Security number needs to be filled out. You do not need to fill out the exemption calculation. Indicate on the final line how many exceptions were claimed on the change of status form. Employee needs to sign and date the form. Applies to Columbus, California.
2) W-4 Form: Only the bottom third of this form needs to be filled out. You do not need to fill out the exemption calculation. Name, address and Social Security number needs to be filled out (Boxes 1-3). On line 5 indicate how many exemptions the person wants claim or what was indicated on the change of status. Exempt: means that the employee will have no tax liability, meaning the employee will only work a couple days at most for an entire year period.
I-9 Employment verification form: The purpose of this form is to verify that the employee is eligible for employment in the United States. Section 1 needs to be filled out in it’s entirety and signed by the employee. You will need to fill out section 2 and ask the employee for their drivers license and social security card. If they do not have either of these documents an alternative list is provided on the back. An employee can not start under any circumstances if they do not have any acceptable identification. If the person was not born in the United States, you need to see their “Green Card” or Employment authorization card and Social Security card. The employee can not start under any circumstances if they do not have proof of employment authorization. If the person is a rehire you can use the original I-9 form and fill out section 3 only.
Employee Acknowledgment form: The purpose of this form is to make the employee aware of the following information:
1) At this time the employee is being hired in as a season employee.
2) He/she is not eligible for any benefits.
3) He/she is being employed “at will” (they are not being forced to work)
4) The employee has the right to quit and we have the right to terminate them.
Employee Handbook: The purpose of this form and handbook is so that the employee is receiving a written copy of all of our policies and procedures that apply to them at this time. The form is acknowledging that the employee is aware that all of the policies and procedures apply to them. You are required to go over a brief overview of the packet. Having the employee sign off on the form will no longer stand in court as “the employee knew about the information”. You must go over the information. You can go into as much detail as you fill necessary. The following information is at minimum what you need to go over:
1. The front page is a list of criteria that we look at when we consider them for full-time employment (Quality of work, Quantity of work, Knowledge, Working relations, and Dependability)
2. Full-time status is never guaranteed.
3. FTR - can result in immediate termination
4. The chart shows you how their full-time eligibility is effected if they miss anytime. On a clean slate they may be eligible after 90 days. If he/she misses one day, we understand circumstances happen beyond our control, it will not count against them. If it turns into two days or more, the chart shows how he/she is effected.
5. Employee communication: we have a designed area where we post information, it is the employee’s responsibility to frequently review.
6. Employee Safety and Health: If there is an accident or injury, we need to be notified at the time of the incident in order to fill out a report. The employee is not able to come in the next day stating for example that he/she hurt their back and now they need to go to the hospital. We will not cover them unless we were notified at the time of the incident and a thorough investigation was done.
7. Standard of Conduct and Corrective action: the section is examples of behavior that would result in disciplinary action and how it would be handled. Also, standards that we expect the employee to uphold.
8. The company reserves the right to search employee personal effect such as lunch boxes, purses, tool boxes, desk, lockers, ect., on company premises.
Employee Data Record: The government requires us to handle certain information on all of our employees. The information is kept in a separate confidential file separate from his/ her personnel file.
Employee ID Photo Badge & Time Clock Hand Scan: The employee will receive ID photo badge to wear at all times during their scheduled work hours. The time clock hand scan will record the employee clock in and out times in our time clock computer system.
a. The employee ID badge: The employee will sign for this badge card on their first day. The card is $20 and will be deducted out of the employee’s payroll check. If the employee quits prior to 1 month of hire date they will only be reimbursed $10 only if the badge is turned in. If the badge is lost or damaged the employee will be replaced at an additional cost of $20. If the employee quits or is terminated after 1 month they will be reimbursed $20 if the badge is turned in.
b. Time clock hand scan: They should scan hand in when their shift starts and scan hand out when the shift ends. (Refer to time clock hand scan procedures for details)
c. In and out hand scans are their responsibility. If they forgot to scan in/out, they need to tell their supervisor. Failure to tell their supervisor they missed a hand scan could result in a shorted paycheck. We are unable to pay that employee until the following pay period. We recommend that they review their hours with their supervisor on Fridays to insure that their paycheck will be correct.
Pay Checks & Pay Periods: Our paychecks are weekly for hourly employees. Paychecks are passed out on Fridays. Our pay periods run Monday through Sunday. Anything they work Monday to Sunday, they get paid for the following Friday.
Attendance Policies: The employee needs to be here on time everyday. If they need to call off for any reason, it needs to be one hour to 45 minutes ahead of time prior to their scheduled shift. They need to speak directly to their supervisor. If they fail to call in it is considered a “failure to report” which can be grounds for termination. If they call off for any reason it can effect their full-time eligibility (See front page of new employee packet they just received for details) Instructions are given out at the beginning of the shift, so it is important that they are here on time. If they are going to be late for any reason, they need to call ahead of time to let their supervisor know.
Warehouse Tour: You will need to walk the employee around. Show them where they should report, break-rooms, restrooms and any other important areas the employee should be aware of. The tour helps get the employee familiar with the surrounding and where they will be working. Even introduce them to who they will be reporting to.
Safety and Security Issues: Indicate where the employee should park. Tell the employee if they need to have any protective gear (like steal-toe boots). Indicate to the employee if there are any special security issues with your facility (like an electronic door).
Where to Report: Indicate to the employee where they should report. Let them know what time they should be there. Indicate if they need to start early on their first day.
Name of Crew-leader/Supervisor: Give the employee the name of their supervisor and crew-leader. It is important that the employee starts to get familiar with who they will be working with.
Signatures: Have the employee sign off on the form, indicating that all of the
information was gone over with them. Turn this form in with all of the employees paper
work.
After orientation – Once an employee has filled out their paper work, you will need to look through the file to insure that everything was filled out correctly. If you are doing an orientation that has been translated to non-English speaking employees, you will need to finish filling out the packets. You will also need to fill out the new hire label on the tab of the folder(last name first, shift, status, hire date and Soc Sec). After the new hire packets are filled out correctly, you will need to organize them.
Organizing new hire packets – You are responsible for insuring that all company new hire packets are filled out and organized correctly. Once you receive a packet from another branch or after your orientation. You will go through the packet to make sure it has been filled out correctly. If there are missing pages or information, contact the employee or GM. Once you have gone through the packet, you will now need to organize it. You will put them in order of the full-time checklist. A copy of their cards goes immediately behind the Change of Status. The application will go between a copy of their cards and the investigation agreement. The full-time checklist goes last in the packet. The Employee Data Record stays separate from the rest of the papers. Once you have it organized, staple everything except the Employee Data Record to the right side of the packet.
Social Security Verification – We are required to verify social security numbers with the social security office. You can only verify social security number of current or former employee’s. You can not hire someone based on if their social security is correct or not. You also can not immediately terminate someone if their social security is invalid. You have to give them ample time to rectify the situation. If the social security office states that “it’s not a match”, it does not imply that you or your employee intentionally provided incorrect information about the employee’s name or SSN. The employee will be notified with a l etter from Human Resources. The letter is translated also into Spanish. The letter states that they need to go to the Social Security Office or call (800) 7752-1213 to rectify the situation. If the employee fails to follow through, you can also send them a 2nd attempt letter. The 1st letter that is given to the employee will need to be signed by the employee. The letter will be sent to Human Resources and put in the employee’s file. Human Resources has a spreadsheet notated that the 1st letter has been given to the employee. The 2nd attempted letter will be sent to the employee 30 days after if the SSN has not been rectified. You can not take adverse action against the employee unless it becomes Company policy and it is followed uniformly across the company. As long as you have documentation showing that you have tried to correct the situation, there is nothing else you can do. The Social Security office can charge $50 per invalid social security number. As long as you can prove that the employee provided the information and you made a valid attempt to rectify the situation. The Social Security Office said that you will be able to avoid the charge.
1. All Salary and higher paid employees need to be mailed separately due to the confidentiality of the pay rate. You will need the companies EIN number 31-1379444. You are verifying; name, date of birth, gender and social security. They will tell you if it matches their records.
2. Mail verification –Nancy creates a list of social security numbers whenever we hire someone. The spreadsheet contains the following: name (last, first and middle initial), social security number, DOB, and gender. At the top of the spreadsheet include the following information: your name, company name and address, telephone number, fax, the EIN number 31-1379444 and the code SWIA.
3. Mail the print out verifying the information.
Mail to:
Social Security Administration
Wilkes-Barre Data Operations Center
P.O. Box 6500
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18767-6500