A Multi-Location Employer Was at Risk of Thousands in Fines: How One HR Leader Transformed I-9 Compliance
A centralized, compliant I-9 database was essential for a national, multi-location service provider. The right I-9 provider would not only streamline many manual processes and free up managers at the regional levels, but would also put Alicia and her company leaders at ease knowing that their employee records were compliant.
Alicia M. is Vice President of People Operations at a National, multi-location service provider that operates in the restaurant and hospitality space.
We had the opportunity to hear about her experience leading People Operations, specifically her work implementing and scaling one of the highest-stakes compliance processes for HR teams: compliant I-9 handling and storage.
“Don’t skip out on compliance support. After realizing that we were at risk of in I-9 fines, verifi-9 is a no-brainer.”
How did you begin your career in Human Resources?
I completed my undergraduate degree in Business Administration and began working in operations roles. I really enjoyed the people side of businesses, it’s where I saw myself making the biggest, tangible impact. My first [HR] role was a specialist role for a small logistics company. The rest is history!
Why did you choose VerifyToday to support your employment compliance needs?
Many reasons. Because we have multiple locations, many of our onboarding was silo’d, which created a nightmare for our data. It was becoming increasingly harder to manage as the company grew. We had no real process for regional managers hiring and onboarding at their locations, they would email or upload the onboarding documents already completed. Most of the time, there were errors all over them. Some that I didn’t even know about.
Overtime, integrating the employee data with our payroll software became unmanageable. Not only that, keeping up with training regional managers on how to complete the Form I-9 compliantly was nearly impossible when I was unsure of changing regulations.
Many people don’t realize how crucial the I-9 is in maintaining records downstream. Can you expand more?
The change is night and day. It freed up the regional managers completely from this part of hiring. At the corporate level, I have complete oversight now of this process.
Section 2 is so simple and intuitive on the [verifi-9] platform. We have many hires, too, who are either on work visas or in the middle of their immigration process. They would be nervous to make a mistake that might jeopardize their immigration status. I don’t blame them, Form I-9 can seem so overwhelming and daunting. [Now] I cannot tell you the last time a new hire contacted me with a question on Section 1. It’s like their anxieties are eliminated, and they can translate the platform to Spanish, too.
“My Account Manager is available whenever I need, but I really have no reason to contact them ever because the system is designed so intuitively to where I cannot make a mistake.”
What would you tell other HR leaders?
I get many sales calls for different HR software. The people at VerifyToday just seem different. They seem real. The service and support is top-notch also.
“I really recommend getting a partner like VerifyToday, it will be a game-changer.”
About VerifyToday
VerifyToday provides full lifecycle employee compliance solutions that reduce risk, eliminate manual work, and make hiring easier at scale. Our platform supports Form I-9 compliance, identifies hiring and location based tax incentives, automates employment and wage verifications, and manages unemployment claims. Contact VerifyToday to schedule a quick demo and see how our payroll- driven platform can plug into your workflow.
