05/14/2013
Q. Do employers have the right to put employees’ address and phone numbers in a place where all employees can access them? Are there privacy issues? Should we get employees’ permission?
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04/25/2013
Most companies maintain large amounts of data about their employees, some of which may be considered personally identifiable information. It must be carefully guarded to ensure employee privacy and prevent identity theft. You must understand the relevant laws and your obligations to protect employee data.
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01/21/2013
HR Law 101: Drug testing and substance abuse prevention programs can involve substantial legal liability if employers don't manage and administer them properly. If your organization decides to implement a drug testing program, there are ways to minimize the risk of employee lawsuits ...
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01/09/2013
Recently, a Texas appeals court was asked to determine whether firing an employee because of a Facebook post violated that employee’s state law privacy rights. The court held that it did not.
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11/29/2012
Q. On our company website, we post employees’ pictures and a brief overview of their education and professional background. Recently, an employee asked us to remove her information for security reasons. She fears someone may google her name and find out where she works and the area she lives. Thoughts?
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11/20/2012
Disclosing on a company calendar that an employee is out because of sickness or FMLA leave is problematic. An employer should never disclose that absences are due to medical or health reasons. You must maintain the confidentiality of such information.
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10/30/2012
California last month became the third state to enact a law that prohibits employers from asking applicants or employees for their passwords to social media sites. Illinois and Maryland had passed similar laws earlier this year.
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10/22/2012
Starting Jan. 1, California employers may no longer require or request employees or job applicants to reveal their social media user names, passwords or other account information.
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09/20/2012
Some employers have recently begun to require employees and applicants to provide their passwords or otherwise allow access to their social media accounts. The Illinois Legislature has now put a stop to that practice.
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09/17/2012
Q. One our employees called in sick for a shift during a recent holiday weekend. He told several co-workers that he didn’t come to work because he was having so much fun at his cabin. According to a few co-workers, he made several Facebook posts about his various recreational activities on the day that he was allegedly too sick to work ... Can I ask one of the co-workers to show me the Facebook posts?
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09/12/2012
Q. We approved an employee to take FMLA leave to care for her seriously ill father. The problem is that her supervisor has shared the details of the dad’s illness with other employees. This is a breach of confidentiality. The employee has complained. What should happen to the supervisor?
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08/23/2012
At last count, the more than 900 million Facebook users have more than 125 billion “friends.” But in the workplace, who is really your friend on Facebook? In this recent case, a manager strong-armed an employee to get access to a co-worker’s Facebook page. Is that an invasion of privacy?
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08/21/2012
Gov. Pat Quinn has signed legislation barring employers from requesting job applicants’ or employees’ social media passwords. Dubbed the “Facebook Law,” the new law is intended to protect employees’ private communications from the prying eyes of prospective or current bosses.
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07/28/2012
HR Law 101: Employers have any number of legitimate reasons to monitor employees’ e-mail and Internet usage. Beyond personal productivity issues, you risk significant loss should an employee download a virus or other damaging software or engage in illegal activity conducted on company computers ...
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06/14/2012
Online social networking sites provide a variety of benefits to organizations. They can help you collect industry-based knowledge, reach new customers, build your brand and publicize your company’s name and reputation. But those benefits come with their fair share of legal risks. You need a comprehensive social media policy to guide employees on your expectations about their online behavior.
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