New Hire Paperwork and Compliance for Virginia

The onboarding of new hires is crucial in setting standards and culture and building rapport with employees, all in the hope that they will want to stay on board for as long as possible.

In an effort to regulate fraudulent hiring practices, federal and state governments have created laws that dictate certain aspects of the new hire process. Violating these laws can have severe legal consequences.

If you are an HR professional in Virginia, keep reading to brush up on Virginia new hire compliance and how to avoid falling into unwanted legal troubles today!

Virginia New Hire Paperwork

This should come as no surprise to anyone who has had a job before, but there is a lot of paperwork on the first day of employment. The state of Virginia requires certain new hire documentation to be completed on day one of hiring a new employee.

These required forms should be considered separate from the company welcome packet, which will be discussed later. The state requires these forms to consider the new hire employed.

Required Forms

There are five required forms that every business will need to fill out when hiring a new employee:

1. I-9 Employment Eligibility Form

2. W-4 Federal Tax Withholding Form

3. VA-4 Virginia State Tax Withholding Form

4. Disability Self-Identification Form

5. Virginia New Hire Reporting Form

The Virginia new hire reporting program regulates new hire compliance on reporting new employees to the state.

Virginia New Hire Reporting Program

Virginia Statute 63.2-1946 and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, 42 U.S.C. 653a, require all new employees to be reported to the state within 20 days of the employee's first paid day of work.

Virginia uses the new hire report to identify families in need and provides children with the support they require. The reporting program also helps to reduce fraudulent worker's compensation claims and unemployment insurance.

To properly register your new hire with the state directory you will need to fill out the Virginia new hire reporting form. At a minimum the form needs to include the employers:

• Federal Employer Identification Number

• Name of Business

• Employer Address

You will also need to include the following employee information:

• Name

• Address

• Social Security Number

• Hiring Date

If you are reporting as a multistate employer you will also need to include the state in which the employee is being hired.

New Hire Tasks Before Start Date

Aside from the required forms, the state of Virginia needs there are also additional company-specific forms and tasks as well. These are less of a requirement and more best practices, but no less important.

These are things that help make new employees feel welcome, accepted, and prepared to take on their new roles.

Provide a Welcome Packet

This is where you should include information about benefits, expectations, and policies the new hire needs to know. The welcome packet should not just simply be the employee handbook. Try to also include the latest company newsletter, a list of emergency contact information, and any forms corporate requires.

You should prepare these items in advance and present them to your new hire on their first day. Typically after you complete the state and federally required paperwork.

Employees are investing their time into your company and welcome packets prepared in advance are a great way to show you are also investing in them.

Introduce Them to Your Culture

Culture is important in every aspect of the workplace, but it's crucial to model company culture and norms on or before day one. This helps new employees to feel welcome and accepted right away.

Prep each staff member leading up to day one to introduce themselves to the new hire, and not be afraid to offer tours or assistance during their first few days.

Send out a company-wide email urging all current employees to take time and greet the new hire on day one. Encourage them to not only say hi when they see the new employee but to seek that person out to introduce themselves.

This can make a new employee feel welcome right away and ease any anxiety they may have about starting a new job.

Do not be afraid to model your own expectations and standards during facility tours as well. However, this does not extend to corrections and reprimands of staff.

Most people are uncomfortable during the first few days of employment, especially new hires who don't know anyone yet. Be sure to show positive aspects of the culture and keep the disciplinary actions between only those involved.

Choose a Mentor For Your New Hire

A great way to show your investment in a new employee is to introduce them to those they will be working closely with and identify a mentor for them. Think about your current staff and decide who would be best to help the new employee with their adjustment period.

Make contact with the selected staff and determine what exactly being a mentor means in your company. This gives the new hire a direct point of contact outside their chain of supervision where they may feel more comfortable asking questions and discussing challenges they are facing.

Provide Required Access Items

Finally, be sure to include all items the new employee will need to access company resources and files needed to complete their job duties. This should include any building/office keys, key cards, network login information, and network and email account creation.

Having these all ready to give to your employee will show them you value their time and are there to support them in doing the job you hired them to do. There is nothing more frustrating to a new employee than sitting around bored because they can't access what they need to do their job.

Virginia State Employment Standards

There are other employment requirements that will need to be followed but aren't necessarily part of the new hire process and therefore often overlooked.

One major requirement is the placement of labor law posters within the workplace. These posters must be easily visible to employees and are there to educate employees on federal and state labor laws.

These posters include specific information for anti-discriminatory laws, minimum wage, and worker's compensation information. Contact information for where to report violations of labor laws is also provided.

These posters can be found on the Department of Labor's website or the Virginia State website for state-specific information.

When preparing the welcome packet and new hire paperwork is a great time to ensure the required posters are visible. Most employees know these posters must be displayed and may say something if they don't see them.

This is also a great habit to get into to maintain compliance with labor laws. Often companies are subject to inspections and evaluations by government agencies, it's always best to be prepared year-round than to scramble at the last minute.

Before Ending the Day

It's always best to check in with your new hire before they leave for the day. This is a great chance to get feedback on your onboarding and new hire processes.

Did they feel welcomed and accepted? Did HR appear prepared for their arrival? Were they able to complete all the checklists for that day?

End-of-day new hire check-ins are a great way to ensure you didn't miss any required paperwork either the I-9 or the W-4 for example. GoCo's Magic Docs allows you to create custom checklists and other forms tailored to your needs.

Simplify HR In Virginia With GoCo

On-boarding new hires can be complicated and often leave you with a tiny bit of anxiety that never goes away. That constant wondering if you are in compliance if all forms are completed, and if there was a change to existing law you missed.

Adding to this the differences in state and federal employment requirements and it's no wonder HR personnel are most stressed during the new hire process and often afterward.

GoCo understands the specific needs all HR personnel face and has designed an all-inclusive HR software to overcome state-specific challenges. GoCo not only provides all the required forms for Virginia new hires but also eases the stress of new hire documentation with Magic Docs.

These are customizable forms that allow you to easily customize, track, send, and collect any form you need and generate a report on the fields you collect.

Take a tour of GoCo and see how you can improve and streamline your new hire and onboarding experience today!