Educating Clients, the Business Community and Human Resources Professionals on the Legal Arizona Workers Act

The Legal Arizona Workers Act, which became effective at the start of 2008, penalizes employers who either “knowingly or intentionally” hire undocumented immigrants. Arizona employers that violate the law for the first time risk losing their business license for up to ten days. Numerous violations can result in permanent loss of an employer’s business license.

The law now requires all Arizona employers to use E-Verify, an Internet-based system to determine the eligibility of new hires. This federal program, mutually governed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is mandatory in Arizona. The program screens and verifies a potential employee’s eligibility to work in the United States.

The team at Creative Business Resources (CBR), an Arizona-based human resources outsourcing company, felt it was their duty to educate clients, the Arizona business community and fellow human resources professionals on the pertinent elements of the new law. CBR also saw this as an opportunity to showcase its expertise and improve the overall quality of the HR Outsourcing industry. To help increase awareness on this topic, CBR developed a three-tiered communications strategy that provided employers and HR professionals with necessary guidelines to help them adjust to the new law.

After brainstorming possible ways to decipher the facts and deliver the information to clients and the public, CBR decided on three main communications tactics:

• Compiled and distributed a law compliance tip sheet to clients and the local media;
• Held educational seminars for clients and other local employers;
• Launched a website with compliance tips and other helpful information

The compliance tips were posted on the company’s website, printed in leaflets and distributed to companies throughout the state and featured in monthly online newsletters. CBR also coordinated two “Lunch and Learn” seminars that were open to clients and other local employers.

The efforts made by CBR to educate the public on the facts of the Legal Arizona Workers Act demonstrate the company’s commitment to providing its clients with the highest standards of customer service and improving the overall quality of the HR Outsourcing industry. CBR successfully achieved its primary objectives by raising awareness about the new law and positioning itself as a leading provider of HR Outsourcing services.

• CBR secured two contributed articles featured in PEO Insider, a leading nationwide publication that provides a professional and comprehensive look into the PEO industry. The articles focused on the steps CBR took in order to educate the public on the new law and positioned CBR’s president as a human resources expert.
• The two educational seminars hosted by CBR had a total of thirty attendees. Clients and other local employers were able to gain valuable information about complying with the new law.