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Hiring

How to: Conduct your annual HR policy review

12/23/2011
We’re already a month into 2012. It’s time to review your employment policies and practices in light of the government’s aggressive efforts to enforce employment laws. The EEOC, the DOL and a host of other agencies are all cracking down on employers. Good, up-to-date policies are your best defense against the fed’s stepped up scrutiny.

Refusing hair-sample drug test trims firm’s bank account

12/20/2011
G2 Secure Staff has settled a disability discrimination charge stemming from poor hiring practices at Raleigh-Durham International Air­­port, where the company provides security services.

How flexible is starting pay in your organization?

12/20/2011
Most employers offer at least some flexibility to tweak starting pay.

Asian food vendor in hot water over hiring practices

12/19/2011
The Nishimoto Trading Co., which sells Asian foods to various Depart­­ment of Defense facilities, has agreed to pay $400,000 in back wages to women who alleged the company illegally refused to hire them. Nishi­moto operates a facility in Chicago.

Drug test leads to disability bias suit against Chicago firm

12/19/2011
Employers know to be wary of drug tests because they sometimes falsely show that someone has been using illegal drugs. Now Chicago-based United Insurance has learned of another danger: Drug tests can t­rigger disability discrimination lawsuits.

Employees must apply before suing for failure to promote

12/16/2011
Supervisors don’t have crystal balls that help them tell the future or read employees’ minds. Unless an em­­ployee expresses an interest in being promoted, they don’t have to consider him for open positions.

10 weirdest boasts on applicants’ résumés

12/15/2011

“Creative writing” on résumés has risen along with the unemployment rate. Sometimes, it’s outright deception. In other cases, applicants take the odd­­ball route in a bid to stand out. Some real-life ex­­am­­ples:

Are reference checks a waste of time?

12/14/2011
Q. We are re-examining our applicant screening process. One idea we’re considering is eliminating calling previous employers for reference checks. We haven’t found those calls to be very helpful, because most former employers will only confirm dates of employment and job title. Is this a good idea?

Get ready for a new federally protected class: the unemployed

12/14/2011
Employers may be surprised to learn there is a growing movement to add the unemployed to the list of people who belong to a protected class. If leaders in the U.S. Senate and the EEOC have their way, it may no longer be legal for em­­ployers to show a preference to hire only those who are currently employed.

Asian food vendor in hot water over hiring practices

12/13/2011
The Nishimoto Trading Co., which sells Asian foods to various defense department facilities, has agreed to pay $400,000 in back wages to women who alleged the company illegally refused to hire them. Nishimoto operates a facility in Miramar.