Independent Contractors vs. Employees

Imagine you are a public administrator in a large agency. Your agency has a lot of work to do and has hired several new workers as independent contractors. These contractors come and go from the office as they please, dress casually, and take extended lunches. Some of your employees have expressed their dissatisfaction to you about those issues. In fact, one employee reminds you of a time last week when you criticized him for taking over an hour for lunch. He wants to know why you disciplined him and not the new contractual workers that take extended lunches. Would you be able to explain the situation to him? What would you say? What benefits or advantages might the angry employee have that he is not remembering?

To prepare for this assignment:

Review the assigned pages for Chapter 10 in The Study of Law: A Critical Thinking Approach (4th ed.).

Review the article "Independent Contractor (Self-Employed) or Employee?" Think about the financial and administrative perspective of the IRS and how that agency distinguishes an independent contractor from an employee.

Review the article "Employee or Contractor?" Consider how employees differ from independent contractors.

Consider how a public administrator might treat an independent contractor differently from an employee doing the same job.

Think about strengths and limitations of independent contractors and employees.

The Assignment (2-3 pages):

Explain the difference between an independent contractor and an employee.

Explain how a public administrator might manage an independent contractor differently from an employee doing the same job.

Explain one strength and one limitation of independent contractors.

Explain one strength and one limitation of employees.

Analyze differences between the management of independent contracts and employees.

Analyze strengths and limitations related to independent contracts and employees.

Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course.