That illegal nanny or day laborer you hired from a foreign country may be willing to work “under the table” for a low price, but you - and your family, clients and coworkers - are getting a terrible deal.

There’s been a ton of buzz lately about illegal workers, especially with the passing of the new Arizona law (bill SB 1070) in late April. From our perspective, it’s a bad trend to get into hiring those who are not in the country legally for many reasons, including:

1. You can’t verify them with a background check. Yes, you can try to find out as much as you can… but are you really willing to risk making a mistake?

2. You could get in huge trouble with the government. Everyone knows you’re not supposed to hire someone who is in the country illegally. Be prepared to pay - heavily - if you get caught employing those who haven’t gone through standard (i.e., legal) immigration procedures.

3. You will always be looking over your shoulder. Who wants to work like that? Isn’t it better to know that you’re operating an “up and up” operation?

This is a clear-cut case of “just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should”. Can you hire illegal workers? Yes. But should you? No way. The price is too high.