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Personnel Files

Hiring commercial drivers? Probe deeper into applicant work history

09/01/2003
If you hire commercial drivers, prepare to start collecting more pre-hire information from applicants. The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) wants employers to …

Organize your personnel files to minimize legal risk

09/01/2003

THE LAW. Maintaining personnel files can be a chore, but it’s the most important element in defending against claims from employees, ex-employees and regulators …

Report ergonomic injuries

09/01/2003
If your organization must keep track of workplace injuries on the OSHA 300 Form, take note: You are required to include employees’ ergonomic-related injuries (such as carpal tunnel syndrome) on that …

Don’t sabotage former employees’ chances for future employment

08/01/2003
The legal risks of providing references on ex-employees has caused some companies to put up a “No references” sign. That’s not a smart move. Eventually, refusing …

Prepare for changes in reporting
workers’ race on EEO-1 form

08/01/2003
Expect more headaches (and questions from employees) when trying to complete your EEO-1 form next year. Reason: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is proposing changes to the government form, …

How to close the door on invasion-of-privacy lawsuits

08/01/2003
Most companies don’t spend a lot of time worrying about their employees’ privacy rights. But they should. Consider this: Privacy lawsuits jumped 300 percent …

Prepare for changes in reporting race on EEO-1 form

08/01/2003
Issue: EEOC’s revamped EEO-1 form could add new burdens on your compliance paperwork.
Risk: You can be fined for “willful” noncompliance …

Less chance of receiving ‘no match’ letter from SSA in 2003

08/01/2003
Issue: Letters from the Social Security Administration (SSA) flushed out thousands of illegal aliens working in U.S. companies, creating chaos for HR departments …

Keep data on employees’ race separate

07/01/2003

Q. We have all new employees fill out a data sheet. Is it OK to ask for race on this form? —J.M., Nevada

You don’t need I-9 forms for pre-1986 hires

07/01/2003

Q. We have a few employees who started working for us more than 20 years ago, before the I-9 rules took effect. I don’t have an I-9 on file for these folks. Should I? —S.I., New York