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Taking Adverse Employment Actions Based on Background Checks

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) was enacted to promote accuracy, fairness, and privacy of consumer information contained in the files of consumer reporting agencies (CRA). Employment background checks are a form of consumer report, so employers that conduct background checks on job applicants or employees must follow the procedures outlined in the FCRA. Failure […]

Why Induction Training Needs to Be Inspiring

New employees should always be given an induction training of sorts, and this may be just a 1-day introduction, or if their role is complex, training may need to be a full week or even more. Ideally, all employees should be inducted in the same manner, although with geographical differences and perhaps conflicting schedules, remote […]

First Rule of SM Sourcing? Don’t Be Creepy!

People you contact are going to want to know: How did you find me? How did you know that I can …? Maintain transparency, says Dingee. Explain how you found them. You’re not hacking, you’re searching the Internet for publicly available information. Dingee’s tips came at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium in Las Vegas. (Info […]

Age Bias—It's Easy to Step into a Discrimination Claim

In an article for ProPublica by Peter Gosselin and Ariana Tobin, the authors use IBM as a case study for the dangers of organizations leaving themselves open to claims of age discrimination. IBM was one of the original “tech” companies—so original that it seems old school compared with names like Facebook, Amazon, and even Microsoft.

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The Impact of Social Dynamics on Training

Social dynamics play an often subtle role in people’s everyday lives. Whether the context is the classroom, the office, the grocery store, or the local watering hole, humans tend to modify their behavior based on their perceived place in the social hierarchy of those present. The same kind of effect is present in other animals, […]

Guns do not belong in the workplace

by Al Vreeland In these pages, we try―often ham-handedly―to infuse a little humor into the very real workplace dilemmas you face on a daily basis. When we first conceived this article, obvious redneck gun jokes were, well, obvious. But the recent massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, has left us humorless, while recent events in several state […]

Ask the Expert: How Far Does the FMLA’s Reach Extend When It Comes to Family Members?

Question: We have an employee who took four days off to tend to his daughter in the hospital after she received a C-section and another who wants to take three weeks off to assist her sibling going through chemotherapy. Would the absences in both scenarios fall under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)? Answer: […]

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Financial Strain Puts Retirement Out of Reach for Many American Workers

A recent survey by Willis Towers Watson (WTW) reveals a growing financial strain among U.S. workers, with 88% struggling to meet basic living costs. Nearly half of employees (46%) are extremely worried about essentials such as food, healthcare, housing, and transportation. As a result, 44% of employees report living paycheck to paycheck, and 59% say […]