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Hiring

Can we make this hire? Confidentiality agreement doesn’t include a noncompete

09/08/2010
Q. We want to hire an applicant, but received a letter from his employer stating that working for us would violate a confidentiality agreement he signed with that employer. Since he doesn’t have a noncompete agreement, can we hire him?

Can we legally a hire a foreign national?

09/08/2010
Q. Our software company is considering hiring a Canadian citizen for a computer systems analyst position. Does the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allow us to hire this individual?

Will we run into legal trouble if we commit to hiring only ‘careful’ workers?

09/08/2010
Q. Several recent hires have suffered work-related injuries shortly after starting to work for us. As a result, our workers’ compensation premiums have soared. Our CEO, in an effort to avoid this problem, has directed managers to hire only “careful” workers in the future. Is this legal?

First Transit sued over criminal background checks

09/03/2010
Cincinnati-based First Transit faces charges that its policy barring all applicants who have a felony conviction disparately impacts minorities and therefore violates the Civil Rights Act.

An easy way to avoid failure-to-hire lawsuits: Post openings for all to see

09/03/2010

Here’s a simple hiring best practice to follow: Advertise all your open positions internally and let employees and applicants know how to look for opportunities. Otherwise, you could be sued by an employee or potential applicant, alleging that she would have applied if she had only known about the opening.

It’s a buyer’s market: Hire the best candidates over those who meet minimum requirements

09/01/2010
Many employers are discovering they have many—perhaps dozens—of well-qualified applicants for each opening. That may leave some perfectly qualified applicants wondering why they weren’t picked. Don’t fret about selecting the applicant with the best résumé. While you may be sued by another applicant who believes some form of discrimination must have been at work in the selection process, that lawsuit won’t go far.

Pittsburgh 4th on Forbes list of cities for working moms

08/27/2010

Buoyed by a good education system, low costs and a falling crime rate, Pittsburgh has placed fourth on Forbes magazine’s annual list of the nation’s best cities for working mothers. The rankings were based on a survey that weighed women’s income, cost of living, availability of pediatricians, safety, employment and spending on education.

Feds finalize I-9 form rules allowing electronic storage

08/24/2010
DHS has issued final regulations clearing the way for employers to electronically sign and store the I-9 employment eligibility verification forms that must be on file for all employees. Here are the links you need to capitalize on this initiative, which should reduce your paperwork burden.

Constant hiring means high-speed, nonstop training

08/24/2010

One of the country’s fastest-growing companies, LTC Financial Partners is looking for 300 new sales agents—and when those jobs are filled, more will open. Because the organization is constantly hiring, it’s also constantly trying to get new employees up to speed. So it created the LTC Insurance Training Institute to get recruits ready to work within five days.

Lesson from the court: Never disclose former employees’ medical info

08/20/2010

“Hi, this is Mike from XYZ Company. I’d like to ask you a few questions about a former employee whom you used to manage.” At some point in managers’ careers, they’ll receive such a phone call from an ex-employee’s prospective employer. Be careful: One simple mistake in your response could trigger an expensive lawsuit. Remember: Never disclose medical information about former employees.