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HR Management

4 employment law lessons from the courts

05/01/2006
Supervisors can learn a lot from others’ mistakes, particularly when it comes to employment law issues. Here are four recent court decisions that provide lessons on how supervisors can keep their organizations (and themselves) out of legal hot water.

Use online tests to find best customer service staff

05/01/2006

Because customer service employees are on your front lines every day, don’t just rely on a résumé and a good first impression to choose such vital personnel. New low-cost online tests can help you determine who has the right stuff …

Loss of supporting documents needn’t sink your defense

05/01/2006

What’s a smart HR professional to do when his or her employer is sued and the records you thought would back up management are gone? You can still save the day by locating different electronic or paper correspondence that supports your decisions …

Illegal immigrants now hold 1 of every 20 U.S. jobs

05/01/2006

Undocumented immigrants make up almost 5 percent of the U.S. work force, and about 850,000 illegal immigrants arrive each year, according to a new Pew Hispanic Center study …

EEO-1 compliance: Prepare to comply with the new EEO-1

05/01/2006

In an effort to monitor employment of minorities and females in the work force, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) requires certain employers to complete and file an Employer Information Report, commonly called an EEO-1 report, by Sept. 30 each year …

Biggest Investigation Error: Skipping the Follow-Up Phase

05/01/2006

Too many HR people close the book on harassment investigations too early. By failing to check if harassment has flared up again, you open the organization to further liability …

New I-9, W-4 needed when employee changes name?

05/01/2006

Q. When employees get married, do we need new W-4s to show the new name? And do we need new I-9s (which, I assume, would require supporting documentation in the new name)? — M.G., Washington

Part of Sarbanes-Oxley law applies to all employers

05/01/2006

Q. I work for a nonprofit social service organization. Do such organizations have to comply with SOX rules? —J.M., New Jersey

Heed the legal limits of video monitoring in the workplace

05/01/2006
Monitoring employees with video cameras probably doesn’t violate employee privacy rights, but employers should make sure they don’t step over the line of reasonable privacy concerns, such as monitoring dressing rooms …

Learn hotel’s lesson: Don’t require English at all times

05/01/2006

If you have a good business reason, you can require employees to speak English on the job. But don’t go overboard. As a New York City hotel just found out, requiring English be spoken at all times, even in the employee breakroom, can spark an EEOC national-origin claim …