Is your small business in New York growing so fast that you need to start hiring help for the first time? Congratulations! Becoming an employer rather than a solo business operator is likely to have implications for many aspects of your business; for example, hiring your first worker means that it’s mandatory for your business to carry New York workers compensation insurance.
Workers’ compensation insurance pays medical and rehabilitation expenses and wages for an employee who suffers work-related illness or injury. Carrying workers compensation insurance provides you as a business owner with immunity from civil lawsuits filed by employees because of workplace injuries.
We would like to offer some advice to business owners who are about to become employers for the first time. While we realize that you may be keen to hire help so that you can be relieved of some of your workload, we recommend that you proceed with caution unless you have experience of the recruitment process from an employer’s perspective.
It’s not difficult for an inexperienced employer to unwittingly say or do something in the course of a job interview that a job applicant sees as discriminatory. To avoid the risk of employment practices lawsuits, you might want to engage an employment consultant to assist with recruitment.
Hiring help in your small business is an important commitment. Purchasing New York workers compensation insurance fulfills a legal requirement concerning your employees’ health and safety. However, the hiring process has the potential for other legal issues to arise and it’s important to approach the selection of workers with caution.
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