A new survey by ICon Professional Services, a provider of contingent workforce management solutions, finds a significant gap between the actual financial risk posed by companies that misclassify their independent contractor workforce and how companies perceive that risk.

According to the survey, 68 percent of more than 50 executives surveyed said they’re confident they would pass a worker misclassification audit. In reality, only 55 percent actually reported passing such an audit.

Jaclyn Jaeger is a freelance contributor to Compliance Week after working for the company for 15 years. She writes on a wide variety of topics, including ethics and compliance, risk management, legal,...