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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08/21/2012
The easier your organization makes it for employees to access work files from home—or from anywhere outside the office—the more time they will spend working before and after their scheduled hours. The more technology your organization’s employees can take home with them, the more productive they’ll be.
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08/14/2012
On your next employee survey, ask employees to describe in three words why they like working there. Then drop that list into the “word cloud” generator at Wordle and put that word cloud on your website’s career page.
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08/13/2012
More and more employees use cellphones and smartphones to get their work done, something many employers encourage in the name of greater efficiency. But there’s a downside: significant safety and financial risks created by employees who use mobile devices while driving. Here's some common-sense perspective on protecting your employees ... and your bottom line.
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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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07/27/2012
Why should HR worry about what the IT department does? After all, you’re about people; they’re about hardware and software. But there is one time when HR must collaborate with IT, and that’s when the computer system crashes. All manner of HR mayhem can ensue, and you had better be able to explain it.
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07/17/2012
If the number of goal-tracking tools online is any indication, the Internet wants you to stick to your goals. Here are five of the best free goal-setting tools available today. Use them yourself, point employees to them or encourage managers to use them for their teams:
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07/09/2012
Employees’ use of personal smartphones (and tablets such as iPads) raises risks not present when employees use company-issued devices. Advice: Take these six steps before allowing employees to use their personal e-tools for work.
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06/22/2012
Even if you included a new social media policy in your employee handbook recently, it’s time to review it again. The NLRB issued a report recently that called into question the legality of some of the wording employers commonly use in their social media policies.
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06/08/2012
Before you plunge into cyberspace in search of information on applicants (or current employees), understand the legal implications. Employers’ efforts to access employees’ and applicants’ private social media websites have recently been subject to increased scrutiny by New York and federal legislators.
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05/31/2012
Media reports speculating that a handful of employers asked employees for their social-media passwords has led Congress to consider legislation that would make it illegal for employers to request employees’ (or applicants’) passwords.
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05/18/2012
When it comes to securing employees’ email accounts against internal hacking, leave nothing to chance. Make it clear that you forbid employees from illegitimately accessing co-workers’ email—and that it’s grounds for dismissal.
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05/09/2012
Consulting firm Robert Half asked CIOs for the strangest employee requests they’ve received in their IT departments. Among the weirdest: “Can I turn the coffee pot on with my computer?”
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04/12/2012
The federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) doesn’t grant employers any legal recourse if an employee misuses information obtained from company computers, according to a recent Minnesota Federal District Court ruling.
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