Category: HR Management & Compliance

There are dozens of details to take care of in the day-to-day operation of your department and your company. We give you case studies, news updates, best practices and training tips that keep your organization fully in compliance with ever-changing employment law, and you fully aware of emerging HR trends.

Q&A on Legally Compliant Background Checks

How many years back into the past can a criminal background check go? What is the difference between an investigative consumer report and a regular consumer report? Can you have different screening processes or factors that warrant disqualification for different positions? These are just a few of the questions that were asked by participants in […]

What laws restrict drug testing policies in California?

“Drug testing of private sector employees and applicants in California implicates the right of privacy set forth in Article 1, Section 1 of the California Constitution.” Marc Jacuzzi told us in a recent CER webinar. “That is where individual employee rights lie for private employers.” But what about safety concerns? Do they trump privacy concerns?

Senate ready to take up NLRB nominations

by Tammy Binford The full Senate is expected to vote on all five nominations to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) within the next few days, a move that could give the NLRB its full membership confirmed by the Senate for the first time in more than a decade. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, […]

Personnel Record Maintenance: When Can You Delete Employee Records?

What policies do you have in place regarding personnel record maintenance? When can you get rid of personnel records? General Guidance for Personnel Record Maintenance “Files should be obviously kept in a central location and someone, typically the HR department, should be the designated custodian. Only the custodian should put things into the file or […]

The 5 R’s of Harassment Avoidance

Yesterday’s Advisor featured attorney Jonathan Segal’s suggestions for anti-harassment training; today, his 5 R’s for managers, plus an introduction to the popular 350-prewritten-policy program, SmartPolicies. Segal, who is one of SHRM’s most popular speakers, is a partner in the Philadelphia office of law firm Duane Morris LLP. His remarks came at the SHRM Annual Conference […]

6 Challenges in Establishing a Performance Management Process

Implementing an effective and objective performance management process helps employers communicate expectations and results to employees. This in turn drives higher performance levels from them. Here are some challenges to look out for when implementing (or improving) a performance management process. 6 Challenges in Establishing a Performance Management Process “Employers are refocusing on the importance […]

Are Employee Background Checks Regulated by FCRA?

Employers performing employee background checks are actually subject to Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulations. FCRA applies to all consumer reports and investigative consumer reports, whether they’re conducted in house or by a third-party such as a consumer reporting agency (CRA). FCRA “is a federal law, and it imposes minimum standards on employers that they […]

Legal Restrictions on Employee Background Checks

Employee background checks are used by an estimated 92 percent of organizations in one form or another before hiring someone. They can be quite useful, but employers should be careful because the EEOC has been cracking down on illegal use of background information. Are you aware of what you should and shouldn’t be doing with […]

Scam alert! NHES warns of e-mail identity theft con

by Christopher J. Pyles New Hampshire Employment Security (NHES) has recently become aware of an identity theft scam being directed at employers. NHES is warning that e-mails coming from an address ending in “@detma.org” and using a subject line referring to “time-sensitive material” are being sent to businesses in an effort to obtain employees’ wage […]

‘Ever Since I Made a Complaint, No One Talks to Me’

Exclusion and avoidance are actions that managers may not realize are forms of retaliation, says “recovering litigator” Jonathan A. Segal, one of SHRM’s most popular speakers. Segal, who is a partner in the Philadelphia office of law firm Duane Morris LLP, offered an update to his “Harassment Quiz” at the SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition, […]