Les conséquences de l'attribution erronée d'un statut de freelance au lieu d'un statut d'employé

Lorsque vous employez des collaborateurs internationaux, vous rémunérez généralement votre équipe de deux manières : en tant que freelances ou en tant qu’employés à temps plein. Considérer un employé comme un freelance expose votre entreprise à d’importantes amendes et pénalités.

Ce sujet gagne en importance : les entreprises de la « gig economy » (économie à la tâche) ont en effet flouté les limites et il est désormais difficile de savoir qui est et qui n’est pas un freelance. La Cour suprême du Royaume-Uni a rejeté à l’unanimité un appel d’Uber cette semaine, confirmant les droits de ses chauffeurs à des avantages sociaux, tels que des congés payés et un salaire minimal garanti.

La manière dont vous attribuez le statut de vos collaborateurs dépend de toute une série de facteurs. Dans notre guide qui explique comment faire passer des freelances au statut d’employés, nous vous indiquons quand il est avantageux pour vous de changer le contrat d’un collaborateur. Avant de procéder au changement, vous devez cependant comprendre les risques de manière à prendre une décision éclairée.

Poursuivez votre lecture pour en savoir plus au sujet des dangers de la requalification d'un contrat de freelance en contrat d'employé.

Amendes réglementaires

Les gouvernements du monde entier imposent différents types d’amendes aux entreprises qui ont attribué un statut de freelance à un employé. Ces amendes vont de la simple réprimande pour les entreprises pour lesquelles il s’agit de la première fois à d’importantes pénalités pour les récidivistes.

Aux États-Unis, par exemple, l’IRS peut imposer toute une série d’amendes. Les amendes commencent à 50 dollars pour les formulaires W-2 non produits, auxquels il faut ajouter 1,5 % des salaires versés et les taxes FICA non réglées, aussi bien pour l’employeur que pour l’employé. Les entreprises pour lesquelles il est établi qu’elles ont délibérément menti sur leur situation d’emploi s’exposent à des pénalités encore plus sévères.

Et il ne s’agit là que de l’IRS. Les gouvernements fédéraux n’hésitent pas à imposer leurs propres amendes pour la requalification de contrat de collaborateurs.

Cela est même encore plus compliqué au-delà des frontières des États-Unis. L’Australie, par exemple, peut imposer aux entreprises une amende de 66 600 dollars par violation. Certains pays exigent des employeurs qu’ils paient les arriérés d’impôts mais également les avantages sociaux obligatoires. Les gouvernements peuvent également forcer les entreprises à tenir compte des congés sans solde et autres cotisations sociales, ce qui augmente le montant de la pénalité forfaitaire.

Pénalités et interdictions pour les entreprises

Même une fois les amendes réglées et les freelances indemnisés pour les avantages sociaux auxquels ils n'ont pas eu accès, il est possible que vous n’en ayez pas terminé avec les pénalités gouvernementales.

Les mesures punitives à la suite d'une requalification de contrat ne se limitent pas à des mesures financières. Cela peut parfois entraîner un ordre de cessation de travaux pour votre entreprise dans l’état ou le pays en question, voire une interdiction totale d’y travailler. En 2020, le New Jersey a institué une loi qui autorise l’état à appliquer des ordres de cessation de travaux pour toute violation des lois sur le travail et les salaires. La Californie est célèbre pour avoir modifié ses lois concernant l'attribution erronée du statut de freelance au lieu de celui d'employé en 2019.

Les pays peuvent faire de même, ce qui peut avoir un effet dévastateur sur les entreprises qui tentent de se développer à l’international. Même si vous n’avez qu’un seul collaborateur dans un pays, la perte d’un membre de valeur de votre équipe peut nuire gravement à votre capacité concurrentielle. Les règles en matière d'attribution de statut varient selon les pays. Vous devez donc faire preuve d’une grande prudence afin de veiller à ce que vos collaborateurs soient correctement considérés.

4. Loss of intellectual property

Intellectual property rights with remote workers should be a larger conversation, yet not many businesses talk about the issue. When you work with team members in other countries, transfer of IP to your business can get complicated quickly.

Learn how Remote protects your intellectual property with Remote IP Guard.

Misclassification can create issues that have nothing to do with civil penalties from a government. In some cases, a messy classification could lead to a total severance of the relationship, leaving questions about who actually owns the work produced. You may see the issue as straightforward, but if a person in another country claims ownership of your IP, you could be in for a hard battle.

Don’t leave your intellectual property up for grabs. Make sure your employment agreements and contracts with independent contractors are ironclad. Not only does losing your IP harm your company, but legal questions about IP ownership could also cause potential partners to avoid working with your business.

5. Legal disputes with workers

No business wants to fight with its workers in court. From the outset, a legal fight with an employee calls the company’s reputation into question. Even if the company has the full backing of the law on its side, the bad press from the disagreement could prevent other potential employees and partners from considering future engagements.

Further, legal disputes take up both money and time. In cases of misclassification, especially cases involving multiple workers, the executives of the company have to spend their own time in court fighting the battle. Company leaders need to spend their time developing strategies and strengthening partnerships, not flying across the globe to argue in courts with unfamiliar rules.

Such legal disputes can quickly become expensive. A single misclassification can lead to a lengthy court battle, and multiple misclassifications can severely hamper a company’s ability to grow. Better to get it right from the outset than to leave classification to chance.

Utilisez notre liste de contrôle de la conformité des freelances pour éviter les requalifications de contrats.

Utilisez cette liste de contrôle pour déterminer si une nouvelle recrue doit se voir attribuer un statut d'employé ou de freelance.

Télécharger

Why should you be aware and informed about misclassifying your employees?

The National Employment Law Project estimates that 10 to 30% of US employers are misclassifying their workers as independent contractors.

Say you go through a misclassification nightmare and emerge from the other side mostly unscathed. You pay some fines, dodge the bigger penalties, and keep the issue out of the press.

Even in this unlikely scenario, your company is primed for more trouble down the road. You may suffer from long-term repercussions, such as the following:

• Increased regulatory scrutiny: After you've been caught once for misclassifying your employees, government agencies keep a closer eye on your business practices.

• Damaged reputation: Negative publicity surrounding misclassification can tarnish your brand image and make it harder to attract top talent.

• Loss of trust: Your employees, business partners, and investors may trust you less after a misclassification scandal.

• Legal challenges: Misclassified employees may sue for unpaid wages, employee benefits, and other damages, leading to expensive and legal battles.

Regulators in the country in question have now dealt with your company on the wrong side of the law. They know you have done one thing incorrectly, and they will now look more closely to see whether you have broken any other rules. Your brand name is familiar to the wrong people for the wrong reasons, and it could take years to repair that reputation.

Misclassifying employees as contractors is about much more than saving money in the short term. It’s also about damaging the reputation of your brand, losing the trust of multiple legal systems, and harming your chances of success in a country where you once saw promise.

Being misclassified can also be devastating from an employee’s perspective. The Economic Policy Institute estimated that they could suffer close to $17,000 per year in lost income. This includes not only overtime pay and minimum wage protections, but also health insurance, retirement contributions, and paid time off.

Moreover, misclassified employees have a greater tax burden, as they’re responsible for paying both the employer and employee portions of their income taxes.

How Remote can help you avoid misclassifying employees as independent contractors and its penalties

Remote takes care of all the complex compliance details for you so that you can stay on the right side of the law.

Global compliance

Remote’s employer of record (EOR) service acts as a legal employer for your global workforce. We handle all things HR, including payroll, taxes, benefits, and local labor law compliance.

By partnering with us, you get peace of mind knowing that you’re staying compliant in every country you hire in.

Seamless contractor-to-employee transitions

Thinking of bringing your superstar contractor on board as an employee? Remote's got your back. We streamline the entire transition process, handling all necessary paperwork, payroll adjustments, and benefits enrollment. We even offer localized contracts that are tailored to specific laws to ensure a compliant transition.

Then comes the onboarding process. Remote simplifies that step, too, with our fast and painless onboarding process. Plus, if your needs change in the future, we also provide support for employee to independent contractor transition.

Hire with confidence

Your dream team shouldn’t be limited by borders. Tap into a vast pool of pre-vetted global talent with Remote.

List jobs and hire the best remote talent out there on our platform. You can also use our compensation explorer tool to help you craft a competitive compensation package for wherever you hire.

Proactive misclassification risk assessment

Worried about accidentally misclassifying your workers? Our employee misclassification risk tool can help you evaluate your current workforce and identify any potential issues.

Remote's legal and HR specialists can also provide personalized consultations to maintain compliance with local labor laws, minimizing the risk of misclassification.

Leave worker misclassification problems behind

Staying compliant while growing a global team shouldn’t be stressful. Remote makes it easy for companies of all sizes to work with global teams and mitigate misclassification risks.

Our contractor payment services, in addition to localized payroll, benefits, and taxes, ensure everyone who works for your company is categorized correctly and treated fairly.

Whether your global team includes 10 people or 10,000, we are ready to help — sign up now.

FAQs for misclassifying employees and its penalties

Find the answers to common questions about employee misclassification here:

How common is it for a business to misclassify workers?

Misclassification is a common problem, whether it's willful misclassification or not. Some businesses misunderstand the complex rules, while others deliberately misclassify workers to save money by not paying for benefits or overtime.

The rise of the gig economy has made it even harder to tell the difference between employees and independent contractors.

How much can an employer be sued for misclassifying its employees?

The amount sued for depends on the number of affected workers, the length of the misclassification, and the laws violated.

Fines can range from thousands to millions of dollars, including back wages, overtime pay, benefits, damages, and legal fees.

In cases where class-action lawsuits are filed, companies are susceptible to larger payouts, as the damages are multiplied by the number of workers involved.

How do I correct employee misclassification?

You can correct misclassification through the following means:

• Voluntary reclassification: Employers can proactively reclassify misclassified workers as employees and provide them the benefits they’re entitled to.

• IRS Voluntary Classification Settlement Program (VCSP): This program allows employers to voluntarily reclassify their workers and receive partial relief from federal employment taxes.

• State programs: Some states offer similar programs to the VCSP, providing tax relief or other incentives for employers who voluntarily correct their mistakes.

• Consulting with legal counsel: Contacting an employment lawyer can help you figure out the necessary steps to reclassify a worker.

• Implementing clear policies and procedures: Establishing clear guidelines for classifying workers and conducting regular audits will help prevent misclassification.