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Hiring

Make sure hiring criteria include objective elements

07/08/2008
There’s no need to cut out all the subjective factors that go into a hiring decision. Instead, make sure you also include objective measures that can be easily compared, such as education, experience and specific skills. That way, you are more likely to win a discrimination challenge …

Can we ask applicants about their immigration sponsorship and legal status?

07/08/2008
Q. I was recently reviewing an employment application submitted by a candidate for an open position. Can we lawfully ask whether the candidate requires immigration sponsorship in order to obtain authorization to work for our company? …

Texas gets Gold Shovel award for economic development

07/07/2008
Area Development magazine has awarded Texas its 2008 Gold Shovel Award for economic development and job creation. Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson accepted the award on behalf of the state. “This award is further recognition that Texas continues to lead the nation in job creation and economic development,” Wilson said …

Hispanics hit by job shortages

07/07/2008
According to a recent Pew Hispanic Center survey, Hispanic immigrants have been hard hit in the recent job downturn. Hispanic workers currently have an unemployment rate of 6.5%, compared with 4.7% for other workers …

Isn’t there some way we can provide honest references?

07/07/2008
Q. We work in a very small industry, and employees tend to circulate among various employers in our greater metropolitan area. Many of us belong to the same trade and professional organizations and know each other. We would like to be able to provide each other with honest information in response to reference checks about an employee’s work history, but everyone is reluctant to do so because the general opinion seems to be that the safer course of action is to give only names and dates of employment. Can employers provide honest information about the reasons for employment terminations in response to reference requests? …

Add state-of-the-art equipment to list of Gen Y benefits

07/03/2008

You expect colleges and universities to prepare your youngest workers for their new jobs. But are you prepared for them? Twentysomething employees expect the workplace to greet them with technology that is no less cutting edge than the tools they use in their personal lives and on campus. Here are seven ways to use technology to retain Gen Y’ers …

OK to use candidate observations to justify hiring decisions

07/02/2008
It’s legitimate to base hiring decisions on observations of how prospective employees will perform. Just be sure supervisors document any observations they make. If the person in question later sues you for some reason, you’ll be able to use those observations as legitimate justifications for your decision …

Former worker never should have been hired? You’re not off the hook for discrimination

07/01/2008
Let’s say you learn that a former employee misled you during the hiring process, failing to reveal something so serious that—had you known—would have prevented you from making a job offer in the first place. Now your former employee is suing you for discrimination. Does the new information that came your way kill the lawsuit? …

Masonry firm misclassified workers as independent contractors

07/01/2008
Nelson Torres Garcia, owner of Stone Masonry Unlimited in Fuquay-Varina, has agreed to pay $10,000 in fines for misclassifying five people working on a construction project in Braintree, Mass., as independent contractors …

Beware applicants who are really union organizers

07/01/2008
If your company isn’t a union employer, that doesn’t mean you can ignore the National Labor Relations Act. Chances are, someone wants to make your company a union workplace and will try to trick you into becoming one. In fact, one of your job applicants may be that wolf in sheep’s clothing. He or she will lie to get a job—and then call in the union organizers …