W-2 or 1099? 3 Steps to Help You Understand the Difference

Whether you’re adding gig work or freelancing with your “regular” work, finding jobs through a staffing agency, or just getting started on your taxes – it can be confusing to know which employment tax form to complete.

January 28, 2021

Whether you’re adding gig work or freelancing with your “regular” work, finding jobs through a staffing agency, or just getting started on your taxes, it can be confusing to know which employment tax form to complete.

When comparing different forms, a common question asked is “Am I filling out the right one?” While your employer determines this when you first start working with them, it helps to know some of the key differences between a W-2 employee and a 1099-MISC worker.

The easiest differentiator between the two types of workers is whether taxes are withheld. Workers using a 1099-MISC form are considered self-employed independent contractors. Social Security and Medicare taxes are not withheld and 1099-MISC workers are required to pay their own taxes, the “self-employment” or “SE” tax. W-2 employees have a percentage of each paycheck withheld by their employer and a portion of their employment taxes are paid for by the company. (For more information, consult the IRS and read more on their website.)

So what are other differences between 1099-MISC and W-2 employees? PeopleReady shares three key points to keep in mind.

Behavioral Control

Does your boss control what type of work you do, when, and how you do it? If yes, the company has behavioral control, most likely deeming you a W-2 worker. If you work through a staffing agency like PeopleReady, you could be a W-2 employee with the agency. 1099-MISC workers do not have a boss they must report to, but they are required to find their own jobs and clients, create their own contracts, and manage their tax deductions.

Financial Control

Financial control applies to how a worker is paid. In many W-2 scenarios, the employer decides when the worker is paid and for how much. A 1099-MISC independent contractor will define their payment through various contracts dependent on the project and clients they work with.

Relationship with Employer

Do you have set length of time you’ll work for the employer- maybe a few shifts or a set several weeks? Or is your time of employment indefinite, as there are no plans on you leaving? Each of these factors can help determine the type of relationship, whether you’re an employee or independent contractor. Working through a staffing agency can influence this: you may be a W-2 employee through the staffing agency, being connect to jobs for an outside customer or business. You may be a W-2 employee for the agency, since you will work with them for an indefinite period of time. It’s always a good idea to double check with your recruiter or agency representative if you’re not sure of your employment type, or with a finance expert if you have questions about your tax situation.

Ready to make money doing the jobs you want, when you want? Here’s where to start.

Use JobStack to Find Jobs Safely This Winter Season

What does it mean to work with a staffing company that can help you find work safely and feel secure in your job search? See how PeopleReady is committed to your safety with our app, JobStack.

January 26, 2021

What does it mean to work with a staffing company that can help you find work safely and feel secure in your job search? See how PeopleReady is committed to your safety with our app, JobStack.

"Use JobStack for Winter Safety" infographic

Avoid These 4 Common Workplace Injuries

Safety first.

It’s not just a catchphrase, it’s a guiding principle here at PeopleReady—and hopefully, it’s top of mind for you whenever you head out to any job.

January 14, 2021

Safety first.

It’s not just a catchphrase, it’s a guiding principle here at PeopleReady—and hopefully, it’s top of mind for you whenever you head out to any job. After all, every job involves some safety risks, though some more than others. That’s especially true in the warm summer months.

We’re not trying to scare anyone, but we do want to stress the importance of staying alert and exercising caution on a job site. Your safety is always our top concern—and for good reason: There are several injuries that can put you in harm’s way and keep you from working. Obviously, no one wants to get hurt, and no one wants to spend days, weeks, or even months recovering.

To help you keep an eye out for safety hazards, we’ve put together a list of common workplace injuries that keep workers out of commission:

Overexertion

Overexertion might be the first workplace injury to come to mind since it’s usually among the most common. Think of a worker hurting their back moving a heavy box. These injuries happen regularly because they can result from mistakes we all make when we’re fatigued or distracted, like not following the age-old wisdom of lifting with your legs, not your back.

Falls

Workplace falls are typically separated into two categories: falls from heights and falls on the same level. Falls from heights (or between floors) occur when a worker falls from a higher location like scaffolding or a roof. Falls on the same level can occur when you slip or trip over an object. In many cases, the easiest way to prevent falls is just to be alert.

Repetitive Motions

These injuries might sneak up on you because they’re not the result of a big event. They occur after repeatedly performing a small, seemingly innocuous task over and over again. The wear and tear on your muscles builds up over time and eventually you find yourself with an injury or condition (such as carpal tunnel syndrome) from overuse.

Cuts, Punctures or Scrapes

We spend a lot of time stressing the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE), and although you might consider it obvious advice, there’s a reason for it. Common injuries like cuts, punctures, and scrapes are largely preventable if you’re wearing the appropriate gear. These accidents occur when you’re not protected or you don’t have control of an object because you’re not wearing the proper equipment.

Now you know some common workplace injuries. So what are some tips to keep in mind to stay safe when you’re on the job site?

Always wear the appropriate PPE
Pay attention to your surroundings
Report any safety concerns
Don’t perform any task if you don’t feel properly trained or protected
If you experience any injury (even if it seems harmless), report it immediately.

How to Find Jobs Quickly With JobStack

These four easy steps are the best way for job seekers to make the most of JobStack and find jobs quickly and easily.

Remember life before smartphones and apps? Yeah, neither do we. The joke that there’s an app for everything feels like a lifetime ago. Now, there truly does seem like to be an app for everything, ranging from the silly to the essential. There are even apps to help you manage your apps.

Luckily, there are also apps that let you conveniently find work. One example is JobStack, which lets you find on-demand work when and where you want it.

You’re probably wondering, “I already have a lot of apps—why is JobStack worth the coveted space on my home screen?” Simply put: You can find jobs more quickly than ever before just by taking steps you’re already taking. It’s no extra work on your part, but you’ll see great results.

Reggie Davis, a user of JobStack, says, "Jobstack matches me perfectly with jobs that are closer to me and shows us important information about the job that we are going to. In the morning before work, Jobstack will send me an alert to inform me that my job is about to begin and it has a notification letting the staff know I've arrived. I don't have to do anything but accept the job offer and go to work."

Here are 4 ways to use JobStack to speed up your job search:

Apply to PeopleReady
Once you’ve applied to PeopleReady and passed the review process, you’ve got the green light to start using the JobStack app. Why do we do it this way? Because we want to get the screening process out of the way so that you don’t have any delays once you start using the app. The good news is that if you’ve already used PeopleReady to find work, you’re ready to go!
Accept jobs
One of JobStack’s most innovative features is how it learns what jobs are the best match for you. It’s quite simple: The more jobs you accept, the more it understands which gigs you prefer. So over time your JobStack experience is truly unique to you, which means you spend less time browsing through jobs that don’t interest you.
Ace the gig
The app lets employers give feedback on your performance, which factor into your overall rating. Workers with low ratings because they didn’t show up to the job or who didn’t perform won’t receive job offers via JobStack, but workers with positive feedback will have more opportunities come their way. Don’t forget: The app also lets you give feedback on the jobs you take.
Follow your own schedule
The benefit of using an app to find work is that it’s always ready when you need it (and it’s still ready when you don’t need it). And since you don’t need to go into a branch to accept jobs or submit hours, you get to create the schedule that works for you.

5 Skills to Be a Successful Worker During a Natural Disaster

Here are the five most important attributes that you need on the job site during the aftermath of a natural disaster.

When communities begin to rebuild after any sort of natural disaster, support from a disaster recovery team makes an enormous difference. Businesses of all kinds begin staffing up and hiring additional help to press forward with the work that needs to be done. While any type of help, big or small, makes an impression—there are specific skills that some disaster recovery workers embody that makes them ideal for these high-impact roles.

Do you have the traits that make for an ideal candidate to help affected communities recuperate? Here are five attributes that help make a successful worker in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

Excellent Communicator

Strong communication skills play a big part in disaster relief. Being able to properly update, convey needs, and connect with other players is key. There isn’t always much time to get a message across, so having the ability to interact and communicate well can make someone a great individual for disaster relief work. Workers with strong communication skills have the ability to engage with colleagues and people of all kinds, at different levels in the organization.

Adaptable

With so many moving parts and people, processes continually changing, and circumstances differing from place to place, being able to adapt in many scenarios is truly valuable. Operations may be going one way at a certain moment and a few beats later, completely change. It takes someone who can think quickly on their feet and use critical thinking paired with common sense to make strong decisions that may ultimately effect whole teams.

Patient

Processes aren’t likely to be running as smoothly as they would be under normal circumstances, potentially creating bottlenecks and delays in everything from scheduling and timing to deliveries and approvals. When operations are held up, it takes a worker with patience to weather last-minute changes well.

Detail-Oriented

Sometimes the smallest items can make the biggest difference. Noticing details on a job site is imperative for all aspects from safety to accounting. Disaster recovery work includes many players doing different tasks, so keeping a keen eye on details and following instructions makes progression a lot simpler.

Prompt

We never know exactly when a disaster is going to show up, which means showing up on time is especially important for workers tackling disaster recovery. There are tons of people, even whole communities, counting on your help—which means reliability and promptness is absolutely necessary when showing up for work.

Ready to use your skills to help with disaster recovery? Businesses need people like you—and PeopleReady is committed to connecting great workers with them.

6 Safety Questions to Ask on Every Job

Safety is our No. 1 priority at PeopleReady. Ask yourself these six questions before your first visit to the job site.

December 22, 2020

We get it. When it feels like you have a million things to do, safety isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind – particularly when you’re hustling to make it on time and doing the job well.

But imagine the frustration of having to miss work because of an injury. Sitting out of days, sometimes even weeks or months, of pay and on top of that, dealing with an injury. It’s not worth it! But the numbers aren’t comforting: The National Safety Council says that someone is injured on the job every seven seconds, adding up to 510 injuries each hour, 88,500 a week, and 12,600 every day.

Our goal is that when you’re on a job site with PeopleReady, you feel safe. Here are five crucial questions to ask yourself before heading out onto a job, every single time:

1. Do I know the job?

When you’re sure of the job description and what your duties are, you can decide whether it’s a job you’re comfortable with and have the skills and proper training for. Make sure you know the details of a job before signing on.

2. Does the job look accurate?

If you show up to a job site and you’re being asked to do work that varies greatly from the description, call your branch representative about your safety concerns.

3. Am I geared up?

Don’t take your personal protective equipment (PPE) for granted; many injuries occur just because a worker isn’t wearing their PPE. And remember, PPE can be anything from steel-toed boots to a simple pair of protective glasses.

4. Do I feel safe?

If there is anything about your job site that doesn’t feel safe, do the right thing and let your supervisor and branch staff know. Respectfully informing them of any potential hazards not only protects you and your colleagues, but safeguards the business.

5. Have I reported this?

If you’re injured on the job, you need to tell the onsite supervisor and your branch representative. No matter how minor, your injury should be reviewed and taken care of. Sometimes what may seem like a small injury can turn into something much more serious. Feel free to contact the PeopleReady NurseLine to speak with a nurse about the injury and get help on what to do next. As they always say, better safe than sorry.

6. Am I up to date?

On safety training, that is. When you first start working with PeopleReady, you’ll go through a general safety assessment so we can understand how familiar you are with safety procedures and best practices. You can continue to grow your safety understanding and training with PeopleReady through various certifications, like OSHA 10, that provide you with the important safety info you need.

The top three workplace injuries that cause workers to lose workdays are overexertion, contact with or struck by objects/equipment, and slips, trips, and falls. Fortunately, these types of injuries can be prevented much of the time with a bit of foresight and awareness. We’re here to help with that.

5 Resume Tips That Job Seekers Should Know

Here are some tips to help you shine and overcome some resume obstacles—and prove to your future employer that you’re their ideal candidate.

November 7, 2020

You may not have a lot of prior experience, or maybe there are gaps in your employment. Here are some tips to help you shine and overcome some resume obstacles—and prove to your future employer that you’re their ideal candidate.

Write Concisely

Regardless of your experience, make sure your resume is easy to understand. Communicate well and make it readable, and don’t use wacky fonts or design styles. Be sure to use proper job titles. For example, using “Refuse Dispensing Engineer” or “Waste Management Professional” may make it confusing for the potential employer to understand. Be sure to format your resume correctly, align all of the columns and ensure it was written in an acceptable “resume style.” Clean and concise is best.

Use Proper Grammar

Any resume should be error-free. If you are not a great speller/writer, be sure to have another set of eyes proofread for spelling and grammatical errors. Even the best writers make mistakes. That’s why authors have editors.

Use Relevant Keywords

Be sure that you are including keywords that best fit your experience, beefing up your most recent positions. If you were a warehouse worker, be sure to add a sentence or two about some of the tasks that you performed. Employers will be looking for keywords that fit the jobs they have available and the more detailed your resume, the better your chances of landing an interview.

Focus on Skills

What skills have you learned and gained from your past experiences that you can bring to a future employer? More important than titles, more important than the names of the companies where you worked in the past, are the skills you will bring with you.

Share Your Experiences

Some opportunities may not seem like a good fit at first, but be open to different levels of work. Be clear on what you can do, and what jobs you want going forward. This type of information can easily be added as your opening resume objective. Your experience in a different industry than the one you are applying for may apply nicely. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge that you may be new to the industry, but are confident in your ability to transfer your skills from previous experience.

Define Your Past Positions

Have you had a large reduction in responsibility? For example, were you previously a plant manager but in your most recent position, a retail sales clerk? Potential employers may wonder what happened. Just be prepared to explain why. Were you looking to try something new? Did you get laid off and needed to find something else rather quickly? Be upfront about topics that some employers may perceive as a concern.

Demonstrate Commitment

Employers want to see that you have stayed long enough at previous employers to add value, learn new skills, and build longevity and loyalty with the company. Too many job shifts in too short a time period may suggest that you won’t stick around for them either. Also: Are there gaps in your employment? Be prepared to have a conversation about this during an interview or simply note this in your resume. Employers want to hire those who are going to commit to their company.

You have unique talents and gifts that will be an asset to some lucky employer. Follow these tips, and let your resume rise above the rest. At PeopleReady, we understand the interview process can be intimidating, that’s why we take pride in helping our associates prepare for the next step in their career.

JobStack Helps You Find Disaster Recovery Work

PeopleReady has a long history of bringing workers to affected areas and our mobile app, JobStack, has made the process easier and more efficient. See how JobStack works.

August 26, 2020

JOBSTACK HELPS YOU FIND DISASTER RECOVERY WORK

When natural disasters occur, they leave weeks—even months—of recovery work behind. Everyone in the affected communities are eager to begin rebuilding their lives. Soon after, and in some cases before the event occurs, you will see a surge of new temporary jobs. There might be debris that needs to be moved or construction projects for displaced residents or temporary cleanup efforts. There could even be longer term roles for ongoing issues, like plumbing.

What matters most to these communities is speed. No one has time to wait. If you’re eager to join these efforts and take jobs that help disaster recovery, you want to find them as soon as possible. PeopleReady has a long history of bringing workers to affected areas and our mobile app, JobStack, has made the process easier and more efficient.

Here are four ways JobStack makes finding work in the wake of a natural disaster simpler:

See Available Jobs

Once the community is able to assess the damage and focus on moving forward, businesses and organizations start looking for workers immediately, whether to move debris or staff a call center to handle an onslaught of customer service calls. With JobStack, you’re able to view real-time job postings on your phone and choose the ones you want. This convenient feature, available at any time, is crucial during post-disaster cleanup.

Submit Hours

As you can imagine, natural disaster sites can be hectic in the following days and weeks. JobStack’s “Submit Hours” feature allows you to submit work hours (and lets managers approve them) from the ease of your phone; no need to drive to a physical location or find the supervisor to submit your time ticket.

Work Around Your Schedule

Recovery efforts aren’t always 9-to-5 gigs, meaning opportunities for work aren’t limited to a specific time of day. Whether you’re a resident of the area or temporarily there to work, you don’t have to worry that your schedule might prevent you from earning a paycheck. JobStack lets you see what’s available and choose only the opportunities that work for you.

Use Your Phone

Internet connectivity isn’t always reliable in the aftermath of a natural disaster or major storm, which can lead to a myriad of problems and plenty of frustration. Luckily, you only need a working smartphone to use the app. Every feature we’ve mentioned above—from the job listings to the ability to submit hours—is available as long as your phone has a signal.

Download JobStack now to start exploring opportunities.

PeopleReady Gets to Work After Major Hurricanes

What are some the times that PeopleReady and our incredible associates have jumped at the opportunity to help during and after natural disasters? Let’s take a look.

August 21, 2020

When a natural disaster hits our communities, we all feel it. Whether near the impact or across the country, you’re bound to see the harm that a natural disaster leaves in its path. From hurricanes to wildfires, you might feel helpless, wondering how you can aid and assist. You’re not alone, but a silver lining is that during each of these times, we’re reminded of the amazing people we work with and how great it is when a company can come together for the greater good.

What are some of the times that PeopleReady and our incredible associates have jumped at the opportunity to help?

When Panama City felt devastation from Hurricane Michael, we saw buildings leveled and thousands of people losing their homes. Groups from surrounding branches—Fort Walton; Tallahassee; Dothan, Alabama; and Pensacola—gathered to make the trip to lend helping hands. The immediate and on-going relief came quickly after the rush of a storm and workers showed up in waves, ready to work together to rebuild.
Upon Hurricane Florence, it was crucial for our branch staff to stay connected with their fellow PeopleReady employees, associates, and customers in the potential impact zone and tracked their safety throughout the storm. Communication and rates were coordinated with our Disaster & Recovery customers preparing for the hurricane and we quickly moved to activate our teams across the country to help get people to work as quickly as possible. We quickly set up customers with our mobile app, JobStack, to share work opportunities and approve associate pay on the go while getting workers paid as quickly as possible with pay cards, rush shipped to the affected areas.
After Puerto Rico and Florida experienced the devastation following Hurricane Irma, our local team along with those in the New South and Mid-South regions moved quickly to reopen our branches and connect people with jobs to begin cleanup and recovery. Ensuring our associates safety was key – as was making sure they had access to work, even during these uncertain times.

During these times, our resilience was tested—but PeopleReady, from our recruiters to associates to leadership team unified to rise to the challenge and supported one another.

You might be thinking ahead of how you can help your neighbors around the country during these times. You could be planning for what you might do as a resident in one of these areas and what you can plan for. Whichever you relate to, PeopleReady is here to connect great associates with the work they want, the areas that need them, and with companies who will utilize their skills.

PeopleReady Is Ready to Help During Natural Disasters

Natural disasters never leave as quickly as they arrive. After a hurricane, storm, fire or other disaster is over, the hard work begins: rebuilding a community and helping people return to their normal lives.

June 25, 2020

Workers walking a flotation device through a flooded street

When you’re dealing with people’s livelihoods, you’re dealing with more than just jobs; a responsibility that no one should take lightly. For 30 years PeopleReady has been proud to bring workers to disaster recovery sites as businesses help communities rebuild.

Organization under pressure

Last fall, when Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle, a PeopleReady team arrived in Panama City to find a heavily damaged scene with downed power lines and debris throughout. Although without power, the local PeopleReady branch was still standing and the team managed to clean up the site, power up the generators, and open for business. Eager workers lined up at the location and the recruiting team onboarded more than 300 people on Saturday morning. By the next morning, the first associates were dispatched to work.

Working behind the scenes

The month prior, when Hurricane Florence struck Virginia and the Carolinas, PeopleReady was equally prepared to get people working and restoring the affected communities. Although important, our team also knew it wasn’t simply about having a functioning brick-and-mortar location. They needed to be prepared behind the scenes so finding and placing associates was seamless and effective.

In preparation for the storm’s arrival, the PeopleReady team worked around the clock to:

Ensure we had accurate contact information for all employees, associates, and customers in the potential impact zone.
Activate remote recruiting teams to assist with surge hiring to get associates on clean-up sites quickly.
Encourage customers to download and use JobStack so that they could still place orders and approve associate pay on their phone even if the power was down.
Arrange transportation to get associates into work sites following the storm.
Have enough personnel in place to handle administrative and support tasks from remote markets.
Ship scanners and pay cards in order to accelerate hiring and assist with problem-free associate pay.

Looking beyond the storm

Before the storms arrived, PeopleReady teams monitored the safety and well-being of their teammates and continued to do so after the storms passed. They stayed in constant communication to ensure everyone was safe and had the resources they needed. When you partner with PeopleReady, you’re partnering with a team that understands what it takes to recover and succeed after a natural disaster.

PeopleReady specializes in quick and reliable on-demand labor and highly-skilled workers. PeopleReady supports a wide range of blue-collar industries, including construction, manufacturing and logistics, waste and recycling, and hospitality. Leveraging its game-changing JobStack platform and 600-plus branch offices across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Canada, PeopleReady served approximately 98,000 businesses and put more than 221,000 people to work in 2020.