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Hiring

John Muir Health settles EEOC ‘latex bias’ charges

05/20/2011
John Muir Health agreed to settle bias charges brought by the EEOC, claim­ing the East Bay hospital system dis­­criminated against job applicants ­perceived to have latex allergies.

What will you decide: keep or drop employee health benefits?

05/20/2011
Most employers are not considering canceling health benefits as a result of the year-old health care reform law, according to two recent surveys. The Affordable Care Act may be politically unpopular, but employers assume that it will be a business fact of life for the foreseeable future.

Special analysis: No-match letters are back (don’t panic)

05/20/2011
The Social Security Administration has resumed sending employers letters regarding mismatches of em­ployees’ names and Social Security numbers. Since employee name/SSN matches are critical to payroll administration, you’re right to be concerned. But there seems to be some confusion over these letters.

Ensure there’s no bias in contract hiring, too

05/16/2011

Almost every employer understands that they can’t discriminate against employees on the basis of race. But race discrimination protections also apply even when employers contract out their work. Contractors who believe they have suffered bias can sue under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Set salaries with help from most reputable web sites

05/12/2011
As hiring picks up due to the firming economy, organizations want to offer competitive salaries that aren’t inordinately lower or higher than those available from competitors. Here are the most reputable web sites that track pay for hundreds of professions and specialties.

Are you ready for the EEOC’s enforcement crackdown?

05/11/2011
The EEOC received a record 99,922 charges in the 2010 fiscal year—the most the agency has received in its 45-year history. Given this sharp increase in charge activity, now is a good time to review your personnel policies and practices to make sure you’re taking appropriate steps to help prevent potential dis­crimination claims.

Harassment a problem in the past? That’s no excuse for not hiring women

05/11/2011

Some work environments are more prone to sexual harassment than others. That shouldn’t keep you from hiring women for positions in a largely male workplace. The answer is to educate em­ployees about harassment and then punish anyone who violates your anti-harassment policy.

Black Jacksonville firefighters sue for race bias in testing

05/11/2011
A group of black firefighters are suing the city of Jacksonville and their union, alleging that white firefighters illegally had an opportunity to view promotional tests before they were administered.

IRS ramps up HIRE correspondence audits

05/11/2011
You knew it was going to happen. With so much revenue at stake, the IRS has begun correspondence audits of employers that claimed the 6.2% Social Secur­ity credit against wages paid to new hires under the 2010 Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act.

Dayton: the next New Haven? Police hiring tests to be tossed

05/06/2011

Dayton officials are poised to toss out 748 passing police-hiring exam scores and conduct oral interviews to improve minority hiring for the city’s police department. At first glance, the situation in Day­­ton seems to resemble the case in Ricci v. DeStefano, a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court case. There are important differences, however.