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Hiring

EEOC’s final GINA regs emphasize employee notification

12/21/2010
The EEOC has issued final regulations implementing the employment provisions of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), clarifying employer compliance issues and offering model language to help employees understand their rights under the law.

Is a policy still a policy if it’s not in writing?

12/15/2010

Will a court acknowledge a company “policy” that doesn’t exist on paper? One court recently did—even though the policy wasn’t written anywhere—because the policy was being followed by all managers. Still, when in doubt, it’s best to write it out.

At hiring meetings, think like a consultant

12/15/2010

When new positions open up, HR professionals often meet with hiring managers to gather information about the job and develop hiring strategies. The problem: Too many HR pros take the wrong approach—a passive “order taking” approach—to these intake meetings. Instead, it’s wiser—for the organization’s success and the HR professional’s reputation—for HR to take a consultative approach to these meetings.

Florida’s business climate a relatively sunny 14th best

12/13/2010
Florida has the nation’s 14th best business climate, according to Site Selection magazine. Florida finished sixth in the executive survey of overall business climate and 11th in 2010 new plant rankings. The state finished 31st in overall competitiveness, and 40th in new plants per million residents.

Better writers make better hires

12/10/2010

How do you decide between two equally worthy candidates? When in doubt, hire the person with the best writing skills, says Kris Dunn, VP of People for software firm DAXKO and author of “The HR Capitalist” blog. Here’s why:

Are government workers protected against bias based on marital status? 7th Circuit passes

12/09/2010

Public employees have rights that private-sector employees don’t, including exercising constitutional rights like free speech and due process. That’s because constitutional rights apply to government actions. But do public employees enjoy the right to be free from retaliation based on marital association? Faced with that question, the 7th Circuit recently punted.

What should we know about running credit checks on job applicants?

12/09/2010
Q. Our company is hiring a new finance director and we’re planning to do credit checks on serious job candidates. Are there any legal issues that we should be aware of?

Cable firm’s clear signal: Best to settle bias suit

12/06/2010

After initially refusing to settle a sex discrimination case alleging the company would not hire female technicians, Parma-based Digital Cable and Communications seems to finally get the picture. Several women sued the cable company, claiming they lost out on jobs to less-qualified male applicants. Facing litigation, the company elected to settle.

Insist that managers conduct interviews–even if they already ‘know’ who’s best for the job

12/06/2010

Supervisors may think they know all the candidates for promotion so well they can select one without actually interviewing any of the interested employees. That’s a big mistake. Chances are that if one of the disappointed applicants sues, the supervisor will have to answer very specific questions about the hiring process.

Ohio ranks 6th in business climate, best outside South

12/06/2010
Ohio has the top-ranked business climate outside the South and the sixth best nationwide, according to Site Selection magazine. Every year, the magazine surveys site selectors to get their take on how easy or hard it is to do business in each state. Then it rates the states by tallying up manufacturing plant openings and new expansions of other corporate facilities.