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Hiring

Calculating FMLA eligibility? Add in prior service

02/01/2007

To be eligible for FMLA leave, employees must work for your organization for at least 12 months. But take note: Those months don’t need to be consecutive …

Hired a dud? Double-Check that person’s qualifications and sniff out exaggerations

02/01/2007

You’ve no doubt hired a candidate who looks great on paper but quickly shows deficiencies. The experience he or she listed on the résumé isn’t apparent when the person starts work. Before long, you realize your mistake and fire the new employee, who then sues for discrimination …

Quick fix to discriminatory act may help thwart your legal liability

02/01/2007

If your organization realizes that it made a mistake in failing to hire a member of a protected class (female, minority, disabled, etc.), it’s best to fix the problem as soon as possible and make a job offer. Chances are that will end your liability …

How to comply with Georgia’s child-labor laws

02/01/2007

Georgia has special child-labor laws that can trip you up if you’re not careful. With federal child-labor laws to consider as well, Georgia employers must navigate a tangled web of regulations when employing young workers …

Indiana Civil Rights Act

02/01/2007

Under the Indiana Civil Rights Act, it’s unlawful to subject people to differential treatment based on race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin or ancestry. The law prohibits discrimination in education, employment, access to public conveniences and accommodations, as well as real estate transactions …

References, Background Checks

02/01/2007

HR Law 101: Make it your policy never to hire a candidate without a reference/background check. Your organization could be held liable for “negligent hiring” or “failure to warn” should the employee turn violent on the job. If the employee’s past history would have revealed a problem but you didn’t spot it because you didn’t check, the courts will say you “should have known.” Your firm not only might have to pay damages but also would suffer a loss of reputation …    
 

 

‘Gift of time’ benefits: Nice perk, but consider safety, too

02/01/2007

To thank employees for working 10-hour days during the busy tax season, RSM McGladrey gives them back some of their time: four hours of it, to be exact …

Texas law on background checks for minors

02/01/2007

Q. We do background checks on all applicants. I know the Fair Credit Reporting Act says we have to get the applicant’s permission. We hire some employees under age 18. Is there anything special we need to do? —A.G.

Section 1981 bias law doesn’t cover national-origin claims

02/01/2007

Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 has become an increasingly common route for African-Americans to bring to federal court a variety of discrimination claims not covered by Title VII. But claims of national-origin discrimination aren’t allowed under Section 1981…

Texas congressman pushes bill to block SS benefits for illegals

02/01/2007

Rep. John R. Carter (R-Texas) last month introduced legislation in Congress that aims to bar U.S. citizens from receiving Social Security benefits based on wages earned while they were in the United States illegally …