If you’re like most business owners, you might realize that unemployment insurance (UI) costs have been on the rise for some time now. In recent years, in fact, UI has become one of the top three tax costs to employers.

That’s why many employers spend so much time and energy managing the costs of unemployment claims once they’ve been filed with their local state agency. Rarely do employers think about how their hiring practices and retention efforts can have a positive effect on their UI costs.

You might not realize it, but your employment application can hurt your ability to win an unemployment protest. On the flip side, it can also help you win them. So, follow these tips to formulate your employment application to get better results in protest cases.

Be industry specific

It’s important that your application is geared towards your industry. Too many employers simply download an employment application template from the internet, without thinking about how it fits into their industry. Instead, your application document should ask the right questions, and fit the specific needs, of companies in your field.

Ask the right questions

If you’re not asking questions about key aspects of the position you’re hiring for, then you might end with new employees that aren’t up to the job. And eventually, you’ll have to part ways. Here’s one clue: if the employee didn’t lie on their application, odds are you’ll have to pay them unemployment.

A few key questions to ask on any application:

• What hours are you available?
• How far are you willing to travel?
• Can you perform the duties without reasonable accommodation?
• Do you have specific skills to perform the job?

Screen properly

You need to ensure that you’re conducting the right kinds of pre-employment screening. This includes, but is not limited to, background and reference checks. Proper screening ensures that you get the right employees and that your turnover rate is lowered. The fewer employees you have quitting (or being terminated), the lower your overall UI costs will be.

These are just a few of the ways that your employment application can help lower UI costs. But these are just the initial steps in the process. Job descriptions, interview questions, onboarding process, and other employment related tasks all contribute to lower employee turnover, and therefore reduced UI costs.

For more information, visit us on the web at www.unemploymenttracker.com.