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Privacy

Suspect employees of theft? Questions are OK, but detaining risks ‘False imprisonment’ claim

07/01/2007

A high percentage of workplace theft is the work of insiders. That’s one reason you may want to question employees when money or goods disappear. But don’t act like the police …

The right way to check validity of doctor’s note

06/01/2007

Q. Our company requires a doctor’s note for employees who are out sick more than two days. Sometimes the notes look like something the cat dragged in. Can we call the doctor’s office to simply verify the note is real?—E.W., Pennsylvania

Use confidentiality clause to guard against ‘Litigation theft’

06/01/2007

Employees pursuing legal actions against their employers sometimes snoop around to see what documentary “evidence” of wrongdoing they can find around the office. Protect yourself by having a clear policy against such unauthorized document distribution …

FCRA Is the Ticket to a Jury Trial for HIV-Positive Employees

06/01/2007

Florida’s courts have expanded protection for HIV-positive employees under the Florida Civil Rights Act. At first glance, the law appears to be a state version of Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act and the ADA all rolled into one. But state court interpretation of the act may grant Florida employees protections they don’t have under federal law …

Watch wiretap law when listening in on disciplinary meetings

06/01/2007

Have you ever wished you could have a verbatim record of an HR conversation, just as a hedge against a “he said, she said” dispute in court? Don’t hide a tape recorder under your desk until you’ve considered this …

Protect against your company’s biggest security threat: your employees

06/01/2007

A lost laptop containing the Social Security numbers of more than 50,000 people … A misplaced disk that contains account information for an entire state … Your company’s greatest security threat probably comes not from outside sources but from your own employees. To protect against such internal threats and loss of information, you need to take specific measures to reduce potential risks …

Remind employees: As Coke verdict shows, stealing secrets can earn jail time

05/25/2007

The recent sentencing of a Coca-Cola employee who tried to steal (and sell) the secret formula serves as a cautionary tale for your employees about the confidentiality of trade secrets. Here’s a five-step strategy for shoring up your trade-secret walls and making sure confidential info stays in-house.

Security-Breach Notification Onus Falls on Michigan Employers

05/01/2007

Michigan employers will have a new set of responsibilities when the state’s new security-breach notification law takes effect on July 2. Under the law, owners and licensers of databases are required to notify Michigan residents whose personal information has been accessed by an unauthorized person. Failure to provide timely notice will subject employers to both fines and civil lawsuits …

Noncompete pacts in Texas: New ruling brings clarity … and questions

05/01/2007

Last October, the Texas Supreme Court ruled employers may require new and existing employees to sign covenants not to compete, even if they are “at will” employees. As long as the employees get something in return for agreeing to the restrictions their employers want, the agreements are legal …

Can we make smokers pay higher premiums?

05/01/2007

Q. I have to admit I am not a fan of smokers, but what really concerns me is the cost they are adding to our benefits programs. I don’t think it is fair to the nonsmokers that their costs should keep going up year after year when it’s likely smokers are fueling a part of that cost. Can I make smokers pay more in premiums?—S.S.