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Hiring

Degree of control changes status from contractor to employee

04/01/2008
More and more courts are ignoring the labels companies and independent contractors put on their relationships—and even rewriting the relationship in some cases. That means that someone an organization has carried on the books as an independent contractor can be reclassified as an employee …

Passed over a qualified employee? You can fix the problem

04/01/2008
Sometimes, employers make promotion mistakes that are purely unintentional. That can happen, for example, if an employer somehow overlooked a qualified employee for a promotion. If that employee is a member of a protected class, however, it’s easy to believe that the reason was illegal discrimination …

Sussex County rated Northeast’s lone ‘American dream’ hot spot

04/01/2008
Sussex County is one of the best places in the Northeast to get ahead, according to a recent list released by Forbes.com. The business magazine web site examined U.S. Census Bureau and Labor Department statistics from 2000 forward for every county in the United States to determine which offered “the best job prospects for the average American.” …

Automate applications to end failure-to-promote claims

04/01/2008

If you want to avoid needless failure-to-promote claims, create an automatic application process, and make sure managers and all employees understand how the new system works. Courts have said that if employees let their supervisors know they may be interested in a promotion, those employees don’t actually have to apply to claim they were discriminated against in the process …

DMV probes hiring practices of 2 supervisors

04/01/2008
Two employees of the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles have been placed on leave following allegations that they passed over a more qualified candidate to hire a top official’s friend …

Automate application system to end failure-to-promote claims

04/01/2008

If you want to avoid needless failure-to-promote claims, create an automatic application process, and make sure managers and all employees understand how the new system works. If everyone knows there is one specific way to apply—indeed, the only way to apply—employees can’t make discrimination claims …

DCF spokesman faces child abuse charges

04/01/2008
Al Zimmerman had a solid employment record when the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) hired him as a spokesman. He was later promoted to press secretary and received good reviews, right up until his arrest for allegedly paying two teenagers to perform sexual acts while he photographed them …

Insist on thorough documentation of background check results

04/01/2008
Take care if you run background checks as part of your job application process. Be sure to document how you handle reference check calls, and document requests. You may need the files later, especially if you don’t hire the applicant in the end and he claims discrimination …

Feds increase fines for immigration, I-9 violations

04/01/2008
Employers that run afoul of federal immigration laws face stiffer civil fines starting March 27. The increases average about 25% and are triggered by a mandatory inflation adjustment …

Hiring employees through visa programs? Make sure you consider both sexes

04/01/2008
Recruiting foreign workers who come to the United States via work visa programs requires carefully adhering to Title VII and other discrimination laws, just as if you were recruiting U.S. workers. Make sure you (or your representative) aren’t pushing foreign workers into different visa programs based on sex or some other protected characteristic …