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Hiring

Hire education: Your step-by-step guide to legal hiring practices

06/07/2011
Employers operate in an increasingly complex legal environment, made all the more difficult by the tough economy. Hiring has emerged as a particular trouble spot. Here are the key liability hot spots you must watch out for in the hiring process.

Now hiring: Brace for today’s skills mismatch

06/07/2011
Just because your organization is ready to hire again doesn’t mean it will be easy to find the right people to fill your available jobs. Here are four realities you’re almost certain to face as you try to fill the vacancies in your organization:

Broward’s wellness program survives ADA court challenge

06/03/2011
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging Broward County’s employee wellness program, which came under legal challenge after the county started charging $20 per paycheck to employees who refused to participate.

Can we ask applicants to leave voice-mail message?

06/03/2011
Q. Someone suggested that a good way to screen applicants is to require them to leave a recorded message explaining why they are qualified for the position. Is this legally OK?

What are the rules governing employment of minors for summer seasonal work?

06/01/2011
Q. We are considering hiring several high school students to work at our company for the summer. What statutes or regulations do we need to consider?

In Randleman, gender and disability bias cost big bucks

06/01/2011
Ohio-based Timken Co. will pay $120,000 to settle a gender and disability complaint from a woman who worked at the company’s ball bearing plant in Randleman.

Implement clear process for requesting promotion

06/01/2011

Employees who don’t apply for a job or promotion generally can’t sue over the lost opportunity. But if promotions are never announced and there’s no process to apply, employees and applicants can sue. That’s why it is crucial to have some sort of application process in place that allows you to track applications and prove who applied—and by default, who did not.

Top 7 reasons why the wrong people get hired

06/01/2011
Nobody ever sets out to make a bad hire. But it happens, even to the best hiring managers. From managers’ inadequate preparation to misguided hiring criteria to misreading applicants’ credentials, here are the seven biggest reasons for hiring decisions that bomb.

Supreme Court upholds mandatory E-Verify in Arizona case

05/31/2011
The U.S. Supreme Court last week upheld an Arizona law that requires employers in that state to use the federal government’s E-Verify electronic employment eligibility verification system. Other states are already lining up to require their employers to use E-Verify, too, joining 11 states that already do. It’s time to learn how to use the government’s online tool.

Bias against unemployed now illegal in New Jersey

05/27/2011
Gov. Chris Christie has signed a bill barring discrimination against the unemployed, making it illegal for New Jersey employers to refuse to hire applicants just because they are not currently working. Violators face fines of up to $1,000 for a first offense and $5,000 for subsequent offenses.