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Background Checks: Important New Credit Report Rules; Plus A 6-Point Compliance Guide

Credit reports can be a useful tool for screening job applicants, but using them recently became more complex. That’s because of several important changes to the federal Consumer Credit Reporting Reform Act that are effective September 30, 1997. If you violate these provisions or a similar state law, you can be sued for steep penalties, […]

Employment Law Tip: A Simple Precaution Against the ‘Superbug’ at Work

While staph infections have long been linked to hospitals and other healthcare settings, with increasing frequency a super-drug-resistant staph strain—known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)—has been spreading in other communal locations, such as schools and workplaces. During a recent audio conference, experts Jeffrey Hageman, an epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and Dr. […]

DO Check Google and MySpace / DON’T Check Google and MySpace

What do you do when the experts’ advice conflicts? Some experts say run Google searches on every candidate and don’t forget their MySpace and Facebook pages. Others say, stay away, you don’t want that information. So should you surf or not? It’s annoying when the experts don’t agree, but it doesn’t mean you’re paralyzed. Here […]

NAFE Announces Top Companies for Executive Women

In a recent press release, the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) named its Top 70 Companies and 10 Nonprofits for Executive Women. “While there are still too few women at the top of our nation’s corporations, NAFE is proud to spotlight trailblazing companies that prepare, promote and push women to executive levels,” the release said.

Third Time Not the Charm for California School District

A California sexual harassment case was tried by a jury three times. The first time, the jury found in favor of the school district. The second time, a mistrial was declared before a verdict was rendered. The third time, the jury awarded the employee $199,399 for her sexual harassment claim. Read on for the details.

Spotlight on Boomers: Boomers redefining retirement and flexibility

The face of aging in the United States is changing dramatically and rapidly, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Today’s older Americans are very different from their predecessors, living longer, having lower rates of disability, achieving higher levels of education and less often living in poverty. And the baby boomers, the […]

Could “Unemployed” Be the Next Protected Characteristic?

In a market in which the number of people looking for jobs wildly exceeds the number of jobs available, some employers have opted to narrow the field of applicants by eliminating unemployed workers from consideration. While some employers restrict the field to individuals who are currently employed, others allow candidates who are “recently unemployed” to […]

Listen To Employee Phone Calls? Not In My State, You Don’t!

Your right to do electronic monitoring, like many other management actions, is regulated by state law as well as federal. Here’s how to know what your state allows. You’ve been tipped off by a competitor, who’s also a friend, that someone in your organization is offering her your secret information in exchange for a job […]

Novartis Enters Settlement Agreement for Remaining Members of Gender Bias Suit

Following a massive $250 million punitive damages verdict from a Manhattan jury, Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis has agreed to settle the remaining claims in a recent gender bias suit. Pending final approval by the district judge, the settlement would be more than $152 million and would cover the remainder of the 5,600 claims filed in […]