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Alleged discrimination brings claims against insurance agency

11/04/2008

The EEOC recently filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against Time Insurance Agency of Austin, alleging pregnancy discrimination against a female job applicant.

Was Galveston retirement home biased against older worker?

11/04/2008

The EEOC has been busy this fall in Texas. The agency recently sued the Edgewater Retirement Community in Galveston for allegedly refusing to hire a 78-year-old job applicant.                        

DOL awards Texas $15 million for Hurricane Ike recovery

11/04/2008

The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded the state of Texas a $15.8 million grant to help the Texas Workforce Commission with Hurricane Ike recovery efforts.

DHS Issues ‘Final’ No-Match Letter Rule, While Critics Vow to Continue Opposition

10/28/2008

The Department of Homeland Security has, for the second time, issued a final rule on what employers must do when they receive "no-match" letters questioning the employment eligibility of their workers. Immigrant-right groups are preparing to oppose the rule. Next stop: a federal court in California, where a judge will decide whether the new rule is constitutional.

New employee obviously not working out? Let hiring manager be the one who terminates

10/24/2008

Sometimes, it becomes clear early on that it was a mistake to hire that new employee. If it doesn’t look as though things will improve, it’s a good idea to let the same manager who recommended hiring the employee also be the one to fire her. That makes the termination decision much easier to defend if there’s any question about possible discrimination.

How far back can we go when conducting background checks on employees?

10/24/2008

Q. We do background checks on our employees. Is there a restriction on how many years we can go back on the employee? …

94% of plant’s workers illegal? ICE detains hundreds in sting

10/24/2008

In the largest raid ever conducted in the Carolinas, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained more than 300 workers at Columbia Farms, a House of Raeford Poultry plant in Columbia, S.C. Roughly 100 agents swept through the plant just before 9 a.m. on Oct. 7, sending workers scattering …

More employers create ‘bridge jobs’ to appeal to retirees

10/23/2008

New research shows that more workers of retirement age are staying in their current jobs or returning to work, in part because of the sinking economy and dwindling nest eggs. Many of these older employees aren’t seeking full-time return at their past pay rates. They’re hunting for “bridge jobs.”

What not to ask your prospective HR director

10/22/2008

It is an unwritten rule in polite society that anyone who feels compelled to guess a person’s age should always guess down. That’s why it’s hard to sympathize with an investor with Unitek USA, who reportedly asked a 55-year-old applicant seeking an HR director’s position, “How old are you, 78?” …

What can’t I ask job applicants?

10/22/2008

Q. What questions are off-limits on an employment application or when conducting a job interview? …