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Hiring

Keep track of your departed all-stars

12/01/2004
If a talented employee resigns from your organization (say, for example, a new mom decides to stay at home), don’t erase that person from your memory. Build a database of competent …

Do your leave benefits entice employees to stay?

12/01/2004
Issue: Are your employee-leave policies too stingy, too generous or just right?
Benefit: Knowing how your organization compares to others helps you attract and retain top employees.
Action: Review …

Enforce ‘truth statement’ on applications

11/01/2004
If your organization’s job application doesn’t include a “statement of accuracy,” add one fast. In signing, applicants promise they’ve given complete and accurate answers. Such statements provide a solid legal basis …

Retaliatory job reference is illegal even if a person’s hiring was unlikely

11/01/2004
When you provide references about former employees, keep quiet about whether the ex-employee had sued the company in the past. And train managers to do the same. Spilling the beans about …

Congress gives OK to maintain I-9 records electronically

11/01/2004
Current law requires you to obtain a handwritten signature from each new hire on an I-9 Form to verify the person’s work eligibility. And you must retain each I-9 in paper …

Include indemnity statement in temp agency contracts

11/01/2004

Q. We’re a surveying company and often use temporary workers on big projects. We recently rejected a candidate sent by the temp agency. Now, the candidate is threatening to sue, saying we discriminated against her because of her accent. Can she sue us even though she was employed by the temp agency, not by us? —M.L., Maryland

Warn managers not to exaggerate pay and perks

11/01/2004
Issue: In their zeal to lure top-shelf applicants, hiring managers may embellish on the pay, perks and promotion opportunities. Risk: Failing …

5 ways to avoid legal risks of converting temps to regular staff

11/01/2004
Issue: More employers are testing job candidates by hiring them as temps first.
Risk: Temps converted to regular staff often fly under the radar of pre-employment checks, plus create other …

Consider switching to electronic I-9s; Congress gives the OK

11/01/2004
Issue: You’ll soon be allowed to process and store I-9 forms electronically. Benefit: Save time and money on I-9 processing, especially if your organization …

Don’t probe applicants about their HIV status

11/01/2004

Q. Is it legal to ask applicants medical questions, specifically, if they have HIV? Does the law allow any legal exceptions to ask this question of people applying for food-handling positions?” —S.S., California