• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Privacy

Learn from the big dog’s mistake; check applicants’ crime records

10/01/2004
America’s largest employer, Wal-Mart, recently announced that it will begin running criminal background checks on job candidates.
The decision comes on the heels of two incidents in which employees with …

Warn managers: Never disclose ex-employees’ medical data

10/01/2004
Issue: Former employees can sue if your managers blab about employees’ medical conditions to prospective employers. Risk: Ex-employees can file Americans …

Are you doing enough to stop employee identity theft?

10/01/2004
Your employee records are a gold mine for identity thieves. How should you secure them? A new Society for Human Resource Management survey says 95 percent …

Warn managers never to disclose medical info about former workers

08/01/2004
When checking applicants’ references, some employers like to do an “end run” around the HR department. They’ll call the applicant’s former supervisor directly to find out the dirt on the person. …

What will Congress do for (or to) your business for the rest of 2004?

08/01/2004
Don’t expect much action from Congress on employment-related law as its legislative year comes to a close. With election season heating up, members of Congress will want to press the flesh …

Management Lessons From the Court

08/01/2004

Don’t open an employee’s’ personal mail If you know that a letter or package sent to that person at work is personal (not business related). A recent court ruling shows that you may be opening up a legal mess along with the letter …

Camera phones at work: Shoot down this latest legal threat

06/01/2004
Camera phones now make up more than 4 percent of all worldwide cell phone sales. By 2007, more than half of all cell phones will be equipped with cameras, and cell …

Using GPS to track employees: Know your rights, responsibilities

05/01/2004
It’s a fact: A small but growing number of employers use location-awareness technology, better known as global positioning systems, or GPS, to help keep track of their employees, boost productivity, sharpen …

3 privacy ‘musts’ for securing employee data

04/01/2004

Issue: You’re responsible for securing sensitive employee information. Benefits: Privacy measures and policies protect employees from identity theft and privacy invasion. Actions: Refine your privacy policy, institute a proper …

You can monitor workers’ e-mail, but notify them first

03/01/2004
Employees won’t sue you for snooping in their e-mail if you make it clear (early and often) that it’s not their e-mail. It’s your property, and you hold the right to …