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Hiring

Key EEOC lawsuit focuses on credit-check bias

02/01/2011
The EEOC made headlines recently when it filed suit against Kaplan Higher Learning, accusing it of discriminating against black applicants through the way it checks candidates’ credit histories. A handful of states, including Illinois and Washington, ban or severely limit use of credit checks in hiring.

No requirement to tell about drug retest rights

01/28/2011

North Carolina has stringent rules to ensure that employers test their employees for drug use in an accurate and reliable way. The law requires retaining enough of the blood or urine sample so a second test can be conducted if necessary. However, the law doesn’t require employers to tell employees about their retesting rights.

When hiring, never mention age–to anyone

01/28/2011

Many employers have lost failure-to-hire cases alleging age discrimination because a manager involved in the hiring process mentioned age at some point during the process. The comment need not even be made to the job applicant’s face. Anything age-related said to a co-worker is fair game in court, too.

Newark software firm settles H-1B visa complaint

01/28/2011
Newark-based Peri Software and its owner have agreed to pay $638,449 in back wages and interest to 67 employees after the company misused the H-1B visas the workers used to enter the United States.

No private ‘do-over’ if applicant flunks test

01/28/2011
Do you use standardized tests to determine if applicants meet the minimum requirements for a job? If so, remember this: An applicant who fails a fairly administered test (after receiving a conditional offer of employment) can’t go out and take the test privately and then demand reconsideration.

Food services firm serves up support for military employees

01/27/2011
The 3,000 military veterans, National Guard members and reservists who work for Gaithersburg, Md.-based Sodexo have their own club: the year-old HONOR group. The networking group within the giant food-services company offers support, guidance and resources to employees and families connected to the military.

Strength in numbers: Lawsuit-proof your hiring process with double-team interviews

01/25/2011
You can help prevent hiring lawsuits with one simple tactic: Have two company representatives sit in on interviews. Then have both reps deliver the news when you have to tell an applicant she wasn’t selected. As this case shows, that extra effort can be insurance against a nasty “he said/she said” lawsuit.

In I-9 process, don’t ‘overdocument’ certain workers

01/24/2011
A new settlement shows the risk of requesting more work verification documents from new hires who aren’t native-born U.S. citizens.

Better benefits helping Verizon recruit 900 employees

01/20/2011

Verizon Wireless is using some sought-after benefits to help recruit new employees to fill 900 open positions. Recruiters for the 79,000-employee cell phone company entice applicants by touting these benefits:

Warn bosses: E-mail is smoking-gun evidence

01/18/2011

The risk isn’t new—e-mail has been around for a while. But managers and supervisors still continue to play fast and loose with their e-comments. E-mail messages are increasingly finding their way into employment-law court battles. Remind managers in the hiring process that it’s typically better to pick up the phone or walk down the hall to discuss a candidate than it is to send an e-mail.