A complete guide to PEO Co-employment

Introduction

Co-employment is the term used to describe the relationship between two or more employers where each has specific real or potential legal responsibilities to the same worker or group of workers. Co-employment is legal and advised for firms that are unable or do not have budget to hire up an HR services team. In this article we will discuss all about PEO Co-employment and the advantages of it.

What is PEO Co-employment?

Co-employment is a legal arrangement in which a professional employer organization (PEO) and a company divide some employment responsibilities. For firms that desire to reduce some of the costs and liability related to being an employer, this arrangement is helpful. Owners and executive leaders can focus more of their efforts on expanding their businesses and less on HR by outsourcing with a co-employer. The PEO concentrates on HR-related responsibilities including payroll, benefits administration, and regulatory compliance while clients continue to manage their personnel and day-to-day operations.

How does co-employment work?

Clients agree to divide the responsibilities of the employer when they sign a Client Service Agreement with a PEO. Co-employment occurs when a company’s employees are employed by both the PEO and the company they work for. A PEO does not provide labor, but it does provide good employee benefits, HR administration, risk and compliance management, and much more.

What is a co-employment agreement?

A co-employment agreement, also called to as a client services agreement, is something that the PEO and the client mutually agree upon (employer of the organization). This agreement distributes responsibilities to each party and establishes the structure for how the partnership will operate.

What are the advantages of PEO Co-employment?

• Full-service payroll : Co-employment is usually a good relief for employers who are having trouble finding the time to process payroll. PEOs can manage many parts of payroll administration on the client’s behalf, such as calculating wages and deductions, paying employees, and filing employment taxes with the appropriate authorities. Many can also combine payroll with timekeeping and insurance services, which eliminates the need for repetitive data entry and lowers error rates.
• Compliance skills : Co-employment can give firms peace of mind, especially those that aren’t equipped to handle regulatory oversight, even though compliance appears to be a challenging task. PEOs have risk and compliance professionals who keep up to date with changing HR requirements and collaborate with clients to build proactive strategies that can help protect them from fines and penalties. Focus areas include workplace policies, unemployment and workers’ compensation claims, and tax reporting.
• Workers’ compensation coverage : Meeting state workers’ compensation insurance regulations is a less burden for businesses in co-employment agreements. PEOs offer insurance to their clients and manage possible potential claims. In order to reduce hazardous situations and employer liability, they can also conduct safety audits and suggest employee training programs.
• HR support : Businesses might rely on a PEO for their HR requirements if they don’t have or don’t want to hire specialized internal HR resources. Depending on the level of support needed, co-employment clients can have a dedicated HR specialist or team that offers strategic and administrative services. On the other hand, if employers already have their own resources, they can keep using them and collaborate with the PEO if more knowledge or support is required.
• Strategy for talent management : Co-employment benefits can make organizations seem more attractive to potential employees, but that’s just the beginning. PEOs frequently offer assistance with hiring, training new employees, and performance evaluation. Some additionally offer strategic services that can assist employers in adjusting to shifting workplace demographics and the rising number of contract and temporary employees.

Conclusion

PEOs can be a huge help and benefit to a company’s growth, especially if it’s a small business that needs to hire qualified people while saving time and money in order to expand. It depends on the client, their sort of business, and their expansion ambitions. There are a variety of options and PEOs available to help people achieve their goals.