Joint Employment in Third-Party Staffing Relationships

undefined
 
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The information in this presentation should not
be relied on as legal advice. Experienced legal
counsel should be consulted on specific
matters relating to the issues covered.
 
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B
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i
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e
 
Economic advantages of flexible staffing arrangements
outweigh joint employment considerations
—which can
be addressed with proper management
Joint employment in staffing relationships is 
nothing
new
, despite recent developments
Joint employment considerations are 
no more onerous
than what companies face when they hire their own
employees and 
in some cases are less
 
when staffing
services are used
 
J
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B
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L
i
n
e
 
The best staffing firms are human resource partners,
not labor brokers
Clients must screen and choose knowledgeable
staffing providers
A knowledgeable staffing firm helps protect
The staffing firm
Temporary workers
Clients
Just because other staffing firms “do it this way” does
not mean they are right
 
J
o
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t
 
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m
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D
e
f
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e
d
 
 
A commercial relationship between two or more
employers in which each has legal rights and duties as
an employer with respect to the same employees
 
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R
o
l
e
 
 
Recruits, screens, hires, and completes the Form I-9
Determines wage rates and benefits
Pays wages and employment taxes
Maintains temporary worker handbooks, policies,
complaint mechanisms
Provides workers’ compensation
Handles temporary employee complaints
Has the right to discipline, reassign, or terminate
Is responsible for unemployment insurance
 
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R
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e
 
Determines length of assignment
May review résumés, conduct interviews, and select
candidates
Directs and controls temporary employees’ day-to-day
work activities
 
J
o
i
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t
 
E
m
p
l
o
y
m
e
n
t
 
I
s
s
u
e
s
 
 
EEO (Title VII, ADA, workplace harassment)
Wage and hour law (FLSA)
Family and medical leave (FMLA)
Workplace safety (OSH Act)
Workers’ compensation
Employee benefits (ACA, Erisa)
Union organizing and collective bargaining (NLRA)
Indemnification
undefined
 
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r
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y
y
 
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o
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1
9
6
4
W
h
o
s
 
C
o
v
e
r
e
d
?
 
 
Anyone who exercises right of control over the worker
EEOC: Any firm that can affect a worker’s job
opportunities can be liable, 
even if not an employer or
joint employer
 
 
T
i
t
l
e
 
V
I
I
D
u
t
i
e
s
 
 
Staffing firms and clients 
both
 
have a duty not to
discriminate 
against temporary employees
Staffing firms and clients 
both
 
have a duty not to
harass
 temporary employees
Staffing firms and clients have the same duties to
temporary employees as to their internal employees
 
T
i
t
l
e
 
V
I
I
J
o
b
 
O
r
d
e
r
s
 
 
Staffing firms have a legal duty to refuse to assign
employees to clients that discriminate
Staffing firms that accede to discriminatory client
job orders can be liable under Title VII
undefined
 
A
A
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A
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(
(
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)
)
 
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A
c
t
 
Staffing firms and clients are joint employers under the
ADA and, generally, neither may ask medical questions
before an assignment has been offered
 
A
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t
y
 
t
o
 
A
c
c
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m
m
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e
 
 
Staffing firms and clients both will have a duty to
accommodate temporary employees’ disabilities
Staffing firms and clients should share
accommodation costs
F
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t
o
 
t
h
e
 
o
t
h
e
r
undefined
 
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(
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F
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)
)
 
F
a
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t
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s
 
A
c
t
 
 
Staffing firms have primary responsibility for keeping
wage and hour records
Decades of case law and older DOL guidance
:
Clients generally are “joint employers” for overtime
D
O
L
 
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2
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:
 
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e
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s
 
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t
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A
c
t
 
Staffing firms and clients that are joint employers will
have joint and several liability for overtime
Clients should screen and audit staffing firm practices
undefined
 
F
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A
c
t
 
 
Decades of case law and FMLA regulations:
Staffing firms and clients typically are joint
employers
T
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undefined
 
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a
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Staffing firms and clients are joint employers of
temporary workers, and thus both are responsible
for temporary worker safety
 
O
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H
A
 
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p
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a
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y
 
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I
n
i
t
i
a
t
i
v
e
 
N
e
w
 
R
e
s
o
u
r
c
e
s
Temporary worker web page
(September 2013)
Guidance documents
Recommended practices
Informational bulletins
Record-keeping
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Whistleblower protection rights
Additional expected bulletins (training, lockout/tagout, hearing
conversation, hazard communication, respiratory protection, powered
industrial vehicles, etc.)
 
W
o
r
k
p
l
a
c
e
 
S
a
f
e
t
y
O
S
H
 
A
c
t
 
 
Temporary workers are entitled to the same training and
protections as any other worker
Regardless of
Position
Length of assignment
Cost of training
 
W
o
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k
p
l
a
c
e
 
S
a
f
e
t
y
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A
c
t
 
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A
 
R
e
c
o
r
d
-
K
e
e
p
i
n
g
 
B
u
l
l
e
t
i
n
Supervising employer 
must record temporary
worker injuries on OSHA 300 log; 
client typically will
have record-keeping responsibility
Supervision and control: key for responsibility
Day-to-day supervision over 
means and manner of work
On-site presence for administrative tasks does not
equate to supervision and control
 
W
o
r
k
 
S
i
t
e
 
E
v
a
l
u
a
t
i
o
n
 
a
n
d
 
T
r
a
i
n
i
n
g
 
Prior to assignment, staffing firm and client evaluate
the client’s work site
Occupational safety and health responsibilities should
be assigned and defined in the parties’ contract
New project orientation
Staffing firms: General training applicable to different
occupational settings
Clients: Site-specific training that is the same as that
provided to client’s own employees
 
P
e
r
s
o
n
a
l
 
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
v
e
 
E
q
u
i
p
m
e
n
t
 
O
S
H
A
 
P
P
E
 
B
u
l
l
e
t
i
n
:
Clients generally responsible for PPE
Selecting
Providing
Training
Ensuring actual use
Staffing firm: Reasonable steps to ensure
provision of PPE
Temporary employees cannot be required to pay
for PPE
undefined
 
W
W
o
o
r
r
k
k
e
e
r
r
s
s
C
C
o
o
m
m
p
p
e
e
n
n
s
s
a
a
t
t
i
i
o
o
n
n
 
W
o
r
k
e
r
s
 
C
o
m
p
e
n
s
a
t
i
o
n
 
Special (joint) employer status 
protects
 
staffing firm
clients
In most states, staffing firms and clients are 
immune
from tort liability 
if the assigned employee sues them
for a workplace injury
But if clients disclaim joint employer status in staffing
contracts, 
they may waive immunity from tort liability
 
W
o
r
k
e
r
s
 
C
o
m
p
e
n
s
a
t
i
o
n
 
Staffing firm is a “general employer”
Staffing client will be a “special employer” if
Client supervises the work
Employee consents to relationship
Work done is that of the client
undefined
 
B
B
e
e
n
n
e
e
f
f
i
i
t
t
s
s
 
 
L
L
i
i
a
a
b
b
i
i
l
l
i
i
t
t
y
y
(
(
A
A
C
C
A
A
,
,
 
 
E
E
r
r
i
i
s
s
a
a
)
)
 
B
e
n
e
f
i
t
s
 
L
i
a
b
i
l
i
t
y
 
Clients should review their benefit plans with counsel
to ensure that temporary, leased, and contract
employees are clearly excluded
Courts have upheld temporary employee agreements
to waive client benefits; agreements should be
tailored to particular client plans
 
B
e
n
e
f
i
t
s
 
L
i
a
b
i
l
i
t
y
:
 
T
i
m
e
 
L
i
m
i
t
s
 
A
r
e
N
o
t
 
t
h
e
 
A
n
s
w
e
r
 
Length of assignment, alone, does not create
benefits liability
Limiting assignments does not reduce exposure in
non-benefits areas, e.g., equal employment
opportunity compliance, workplace safety, wage and
hour law
“Churning” is not cost-effective and harms
employees who need work
 
B
e
n
e
f
i
t
s
 
L
i
a
b
i
l
i
t
y
:
 
A
f
f
o
r
d
a
b
l
e
 
C
a
r
e
 
A
c
t
 
ACA responsibility falls on the “common law
employer”—generally the staffing firm
If client is the employer, staffing firm can offer
coverage on client’s behalf if it charges client more
for the employees who enroll
undefined
 
U
U
n
n
i
i
o
o
n
n
 
 
I
I
s
s
s
s
u
u
e
e
s
s
 
J
o
i
n
t
 
E
m
p
l
o
y
m
e
n
t
 
U
n
d
e
r
 
t
h
e
N
a
t
i
o
n
a
l
 
L
a
b
o
r
 
R
e
l
a
t
i
o
n
s
 
A
c
t
 
“Joint employment” means two or more employers that
share or codetermine, and meaningfully affect, essential
terms and conditions of employment (e.g., hiring, firing,
discipline, supervision, and direction)
 
N
L
R
A
 
O
b
l
i
g
a
t
i
o
n
s
 
o
f
 
J
o
i
n
t
 
E
m
p
l
o
y
e
r
s
 
Must bargain over terms and conditions of
employment they “meaningfully affect”
Subject to liability for unfair labor practices
committed by other joint employer(s)
 
B
r
o
w
n
i
n
g
F
e
r
r
i
s
:
J
o
i
n
t
 
E
m
p
l
o
y
m
e
n
t
 
S
t
a
n
d
a
r
d
 
Before ruling
: Employer control had to be “direct and immediate”
and not “limited or routine”—e.g., building management company
was not a joint employer with janitorial company even though it
dictated the number of workers, communicated specific work
assignments and directives to supplier’s manager, and exercised
ongoing performance oversight
After ruling
: Indirect or limited control will suffice; 
right
 to control
may be enough, even if not exercised
 
B
r
o
w
n
i
n
g
F
e
r
r
i
s
:
 
N
o
 
M
a
j
o
r
 
I
m
p
a
c
t
o
n
 
S
t
a
f
f
i
n
g
 
E
x
p
e
c
t
e
d
 
New definition of joint employer 
poses no new risk
since clients had long been held joint employers
under the old rule
 
if they dictated employees’ hours
and duties, directly supervised work, and
terminated employees
Unions represent only 6% of private-sector
workers, and temporary employees have shown
little interest in unions
undefined
 
I
I
n
n
d
d
e
e
m
m
n
n
i
i
f
f
i
i
c
c
a
a
t
t
i
i
o
o
n
n
 
I
n
d
e
m
n
i
f
i
c
a
t
i
o
n
:
 
W
h
o
s
e
 
B
u
s
i
n
e
s
s
 
I
s
 
I
t
?
 
Staffing firms are in the staffing business, not the
many different businesses in which clients operate
A staffing firm and its client should be responsible
for those matters over which each has knowledge
and control
A staffing firm and its client do not know or control
each other’s business operations
A contract’s indemnity language should allocate
responsibility according to the practical realities
and responsibilities of each party’s business
 
undefined
 
L
L
e
e
s
s
s
s
 
 
T
T
h
h
a
a
n
n
 
 
M
M
e
e
e
e
t
t
s
s
t
t
h
h
e
e
 
 
E
E
y
y
e
e
 
P
u
t
t
i
n
g
 
I
t
 
A
l
l
 
T
o
g
e
t
h
e
r
 
Workplace flexibility trumps joint employment
concerns
Joint employment issues are of no greater concern
than those pertaining to clients’ own employees
and, in some cases, are less
Concerns can be mitigated by working with staffing
firms that are human resource partners and are
knowledgeable about and compliant with
employment laws
undefined
 
 
A
A
S
S
A
A
 
 
R
R
e
e
s
s
o
o
u
u
r
r
c
c
e
e
s
s
 
 
R
e
l
e
a
s
e
d
 
i
n
 
2
0
1
5
8
t
h
 
E
d
i
t
i
o
n
 
o
f
C
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By Ed Lenz, ASA senior counsel
Available in print and as an ebook
americanstaffing.net/books
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Joint employment in staffing relationships involves legal rights and duties between multiple employers concerning the same employees. This presentation by Stephen C. Dwyer, Esq., General Counsel at the American Staffing Association, discusses the nuances of joint employment, the economic advantages of flexible staffing, and the roles of staffing firms and clients in managing these relationships effectively. It emphasizes the importance of informed decision-making and proper management to address joint employment considerations.

  • Joint Employment
  • Staffing Relationships
  • Legal Advice
  • Workplace Dynamics
  • Human Resources

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  1. Joint Employment in Third-Party Staffing Relationships: Less Than Meets the Eye Stephen C. Dwyer, Esq. General Counsel American Staffing Association

  2. The information in this presentation should not be relied on as legal advice. Experienced legal counsel should be consulted on specific matters relating to the issues covered.

  3. Joint EmploymentThe Bottom Line Economic advantages of flexible staffing arrangements outweigh joint employment considerations which can be addressed with proper management Joint employment in staffing relationships is nothing new, despite recent developments Joint employment considerations are no more onerous than what companies face when they hire their own employees and in some cases are less when staffing services are used

  4. Joint EmploymentThe Bottom Line The best staffing firms are human resource partners, not labor brokers Clients must screen and choose knowledgeable staffing providers A knowledgeable staffing firm helps protect The staffing firm Temporary workers Clients Just because other staffing firms do it this way does not mean they are right

  5. Joint Employment Defined A commercial relationship between two or more employers in which each has legal rights and duties as an employer with respect to the same employees

  6. Staffing Firms Employer Role Recruits, screens, hires, and completes the Form I-9 Determines wage rates and benefits Pays wages and employment taxes Maintains temporary worker handbooks, policies, complaint mechanisms Provides workers compensation Handles temporary employee complaints Has the right to discipline, reassign, or terminate Is responsible for unemployment insurance

  7. Staffing Clients Employer Role Determines length of assignment May review r sum s, conduct interviews, and select candidates Directs and controls temporary employees day-to-day work activities

  8. Joint Employment Issues EEO (Title VII, ADA, workplace harassment) Wage and hour law (FLSA) Family and medical leave (FMLA) Workplace safety (OSH Act) Workers compensation Employee benefits (ACA, Erisa) Union organizing and collective bargaining (NLRA) Indemnification

  9. Equal Employment Opportunity

  10. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Who s Covered? Anyone who exercises right of control over the worker EEOC: Any firm that can affect a worker s job opportunities can be liable, even if not an employer or joint employer

  11. Title VIIDuties Staffing firms and clients bothhave a duty not to discriminate against temporary employees Staffing firms and clients bothhave a duty not to harass temporary employees Staffing firms and clients have the same duties to temporary employees as to their internal employees

  12. Title VIIJob Orders Staffing firms have a legal duty to refuse to assign employees to clients that discriminate Staffing firms that accede to discriminatory client job orders can be liable under Title VII

  13. Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

  14. Americans With Disabilities Act Staffing firms and clients are joint employers under the ADA and, generally, neither may ask medical questions before an assignment has been offered

  15. ADA Duty to Accommodate Staffing firms and clients both will have a duty to accommodate temporary employees disabilities Staffing firms and clients should share accommodation costs Failure by one to contribute may cause undue hardship to the other

  16. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

  17. Fair Labor Standards Act Staffing firms have primary responsibility for keeping wage and hour records Decades of case law and older DOL guidance: Clients generally are joint employers for overtime DOL joint employment guidance 2016: Merely reaffirms what we already knew staffing firms and clients typically are joint employers

  18. Fair Labor Standards Act Staffing firms and clients that are joint employers will have joint and several liability for overtime Clients should screen and audit staffing firm practices

  19. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

  20. Family and Medical Leave Act Decades of case law and FMLA regulations: Staffing firms and clients typically are joint employers Temporary workers who return from FMLA leave are entitled to resume their assignments (assuming they still exist), even if it means pulling a replacement worker off the job

  21. Workplace Safety: Occupational Safety and Health Act

  22. Workplace Safety Staffing firms and clients are joint employers of temporary workers, and thus both are responsible for temporary worker safety

  23. OSHA Temporary Worker Safety Initiative New Resources Temporary worker web page (September 2013) Guidance documents Recommended practices Informational bulletins Record-keeping Personal protective equipment (PPE) Whistleblower protection rights Additional expected bulletins (training, lockout/tagout, hearing conversation, hazard communication, respiratory protection, powered industrial vehicles, etc.)

  24. Workplace SafetyOSH Act Temporary workers are entitled to the same training and protections as any other worker Regardless of Position Length of assignment Cost of training

  25. Workplace SafetyOSH Act OSHA Record-Keeping Bulletin Supervising employer must record temporary worker injuries on OSHA 300 log; client typically will have record-keeping responsibility Supervision and control: key for responsibility Day-to-day supervision over means and manner of work On-site presence for administrative tasks does not equate to supervision and control

  26. Work Site Evaluation and Training the client s work site Occupational safety and health responsibilities should be assigned and defined in the parties contract New project orientation Staffing firms: General training applicable to different occupational settings Clients: Site-specific training that is the same as that provided to client s own employees Prior to assignment, staffing firm and client evaluate

  27. Personal Protective Equipment OSHA PPE Bulletin: Clients generally responsible for PPE Selecting Providing Training Ensuring actual use Staffing firm: Reasonable steps to ensure provision of PPE Temporary employees cannot be required to pay for PPE

  28. Workers Compensation

  29. Workers Compensation Special (joint) employer status protects staffing firm clients In most states, staffing firms and clients are immune from tort liability if the assigned employee sues them for a workplace injury But if clients disclaim joint employer status in staffing contracts, they may waive immunity from tort liability

  30. Workers Compensation Staffing firm is a general employer Staffing client will be a special employer if Client supervises the work Employee consents to relationship Work done is that of the client

  31. Benefits Liability (ACA, Erisa)

  32. Benefits Liability Clients should review their benefit plans with counsel to ensure that temporary, leased, and contract employees are clearly excluded Courts have upheld temporary employee agreements to waive client benefits; agreements should be tailored to particular client plans

  33. Benefits Liability: Time Limits Are Not the Answer Length of assignment, alone, does not create benefits liability Limiting assignments does not reduce exposure in non-benefits areas, e.g., equal employment opportunity compliance, workplace safety, wage and hour law Churning is not cost-effective and harms employees who need work

  34. Benefits Liability: Affordable Care Act ACA responsibility falls on the common law employer generally the staffing firm If client is the employer, staffing firm can offer coverage on client s behalf if it charges client more for the employees who enroll

  35. Union Issues

  36. Joint Employment Under the National Labor Relations Act Joint employment means two or more employers that share or codetermine, and meaningfully affect, essential terms and conditions of employment (e.g., hiring, firing, discipline, supervision, and direction)

  37. NLRA Obligations of Joint Employers Must bargain over terms and conditions of employment they meaningfully affect Subject to liability for unfair labor practices committed by other joint employer(s)

  38. BrowningFerris: Joint Employment Standard Before ruling: Employer control had to be direct and immediate and not limited or routine e.g., building management company was not a joint employer with janitorial company even though it dictated the number of workers, communicated specific work assignments and directives to supplier s manager, and exercised ongoing performance oversight After ruling: Indirect or limited control will suffice; right to control may be enough, even if not exercised

  39. BrowningFerris: No Major Impact on Staffing Expected New definition of joint employer poses no new risk since clients had long been held joint employers under the old rule if they dictated employees hours and duties, directly supervised work, and terminated employees Unions represent only 6% of private-sector workers, and temporary employees have shown little interest in unions

  40. Indemnification

  41. Indemnification: Whose Business Is It? Staffing firms are in the staffing business, not the many different businesses in which clients operate A staffing firm and its client should be responsible for those matters over which each has knowledge and control A staffing firm and its client do not know or control each other s business operations A contract s indemnity language should allocate responsibility according to the practical realities and responsibilities of each party s business

  42. Less Than Meets the Eye

  43. Putting It All Together Workplace flexibility trumps joint employment concerns Joint employment issues are of no greater concern than those pertaining to clients own employees and, in some cases, are less Concerns can be mitigated by working with staffing firms that are human resource partners and are knowledgeable about and compliant with employment laws

  44. ASA Resources

  45. Released in 20158th Edition of Co-Employment: Employer Liability Issues in Third-Party Staffing Arrangements By Ed Lenz, ASA senior counsel Available in print and as an ebook americanstaffing.net/books

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