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ST. LOUIS, June 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax Workforce Solutions, a leader in human resource, analytics and verification services, today announced the launch of I-9 Anywhere, a cutting-edge software package that enables companies to streamline the federally required Form I-9 completion process, specifically to designated trusted, third party completers for Section 2. Trends show many more employers are centralizing Human Resource functions and hiring more employees who are either offsite or work at a location without a full-time HR representative. The I-9 Anywhere software allows employers to complete the mandated Form I-9 process with the same accuracy, security and audit trail for all employees while providing a positive new hire experience.

With I-9 Anywhere, employers have the ability to enable a new employee to complete Form I-9 Section 1, which asks for basic employee information, and then securely facilitate the remote completion of the Form I-9 Section 2 while leveraging trusted completers from any location. The Section 1 process is intuitive and helps lessen common error points that many employees experience. The I-9 Anywhere process flow utilizes Equifax Workforce Solutions proprietary rules engine to catch common errors and help walk the employee through the often complex regulations surrounding Form I-9. This is particularly important as changing workforce dynamics put new pressures on managing Form I-9 compliance for new employees who may not be close to a corporate Human Resources representative. I-9 Anywhere provides an easy-to-use technology solution to meet the needs of today's companies and allows maximum flexibility to hire the best candidates wherever they may reside.

More and more companies have a distributed workforce, with the number of offsite job postings growing 26 percent in the last year. Whether to provide greater work/life balance to their staff, to centralize the Human Resources function or to access key talent outside the company's immediate location, hiring offsite employees has become the norm. While a remote workforce can help to create a more satisfied team and give access to a larger candidate pool, onboarding and managing those offsite employees can create significant challenges, especially during Form I-9 completion. With the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) increasing its inspection of Form I-9, and employers facing an average fine rate of $935 per incorrect form, it is essential that companies maintain I-9 compliance to avoid these costly fines and prevent reputational damage.

As offsite workers may not be in close proximity to a company office, and many offices may not have a trained official to manage the Form I-9 process, companies must find a way to onboard these employees and complete Form I-9 compliantly, without the extra costs of flying a new employee to a company facility with an HR presence or sending a hiring manager out to meet with the new hire. With I-9 Anywhere, employers can designate a Section 2 completer and provide user access that limits functionality (only to the workflow essential for completing Section 2) and securely links the trusted completer to the appropriate employee through the use of a unique 'receipt code.' The error-free completed electronic Form I-9 is then securely stored and accessible with the employer's other electronic I-9 forms with the same logic and audit trail. If necessary, the employee case is automatically submitted to E-Verify for an employment eligibility determination.

"Changing employee demands and a growing talent shortage have led more companies to employ a remote workforce, bringing new challenges to how they verify the employment eligibility of those remote new hires," said Angela Lockman, vice president of Equifax Workforce Solutions. "Rather than relying on 'good faith' efforts and hoping they don't get audited, employers can rely on I-9 Anywhere to provide a compliant, fully documented process for conducting verifications for employee hiring. As a result, companies can assemble the best teams possible, while enabling their offsite employees to come onboard and be productive much sooner."

Overall, I-9 Anywhere provides employers with a configurable solution that helps them navigate the uncertainty of hiring offsite and out-of-headquarters employees, while enabling those new hires to have a more positive onboarding experience and be productive and compliant from their first day. Additional benefits include:

• Access to a larger network of I-9 completers: Employers can promptly connect newly hired remote employees to any employer-appointed Section 2 completer or a nationwide network of specialists in their geographic location.
• Greater security and control: I-9 Anywhere enables employers to create access based on user role, limiting user access to a new employee's confidential Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to only the workflow essential for completing Form I-9 Section 2 for each specified employee.
• Mobile functionality: Section 2 completion is accessible from mobile devices such as tablets and phones (in addition to traditional desktop computers) allowing new employees a more convenient option for meeting trusted completers and completing Section 2 within three business days.
• Document uploads: A new mobile app helps to ensure compliant hiring and makes it easier for candidates to get hired. QR code technology enables secure capture of document images, providing for configurable retention of employee-presented documents without the need to access hard-wired scanners. These images write direct to Equifax Workforce Solutions servers and do not stop on the completer's device, providing greater protection of employee's PII.
• Complete reporting and audit trails: Detailed reports, including audit history and date and time at which authorized employer agents completed Section 2, help to ensure compliance and provide support in case of an audit.

"Equifax Workforce Solutions is committed to developing the innovations that change the way companies make workforce decisions and manage HR processes, removing obstacles and ensuring compliant practices throughout," said Dann Adams, president of Equifax Workforce Solutions. "As the workforce continues to evolve, and hiring remote employees has become the norm more than the exception, today's companies must adopt solutions that facilitate the hiring and management of these employees. We are proud to introduce I-9 Anywhere, which removes the challenges around onboarding a remote workforce and provides employers with a streamlined, efficient and compliant strategy for hiring the best talent anywhere in the country."

Additional information about I-9 Anywhere can be found at: www.equifaxworkforce.com/i9anywhere

About Equifax
Equifax is a global leader in consumer, commercial and workforce information solutions that provide businesses of all sizes and consumers with insight and information they can trust. Equifax organizes and assimilates data on more than 600 million consumers and 81 million businesses worldwide. The company's significant investments in differentiated data, its expertise in advanced analytics to explore and develop new multi-source data solutions, and its leading-edge proprietary technology enables it to create and deliver unparalleled customized insights that enrich both the performance of businesses and the lives of consumers. Equifax Workforce Solutions (also known as TALX), an Equifax business unit, is a leading provider of human resource, data, analytics and verification services.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Equifax operates or has investments in 19 countries and is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500® Index. Its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. In 2014, Equifax was nominated as a Bloomberg BusinessWeek Top 50 company; its CIO was listed as one of the top 100 by CIO magazine; and the company was named to the Fintech 100 list, was recognized as a top 20 company to work for by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and was named a 2014 InformationWeek Elite 100 Winner. For more information, please visit www.equifaxworkforce.com or www.equifax.com.

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SOURCE Equifax Inc.