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Hiring

Tidewater area boasts most centralized job market

08/28/2009

The metropolitan area encompassing North Carolina suburbs of the Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Hampton Roads region is the most centralized large employment center in the nation, according to a Brookings Institution report titled “Job Sprawl Revisited: The Changing Geography of Metropolitan Employment.”

What’s the latest on the employment of immigrants in the Carolinas?

08/28/2009

Q. My company has about 80 employees spread among four stores in Charlotte and upstate South Carolina. Business is rebounding, and we expect 10 to 15 new hires in the next few months. Proposed changes in immigration laws are often in the news. Is there anything new I should know?

California: The best of sprawl, the worst of sprawl

08/26/2009

It probably comes as no surprise to Southern Californians that the Los Angeles and Orange County region ranks as one of the nation’s worst examples of urban sprawl, according to a recent report by the Brookings Institution. Only Detroit, Chicago and Dallas have more spread-out employment bases.

Know criteria before turning employees into contractors

08/26/2009

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just turn your employees into independent contractors? That way, you wouldn’t have to pay unemployment compensation taxes, provide workers’ compensation insurance and so on. But California courts are quick to zap employers that wrongly convert employees into contractors.

Should we require a nondisclosure agreement?

08/26/2009

Q. Should we require new employees to sign a nondisclosure agreement in order to protect our trade secrets, customer lists, etc.?

Are drug testing programs constitutional?

08/26/2009

Q. An employee says our drug testing program violates his constitutional rights. What can I tell him to prove that we’re well within the law?

The 7 biggest triggers to age bias claims … and how to avoid them

08/20/2009

The ADEA makes it illegal to discriminate against people age 40 and older in hiring, terminations, pay, promotions, benefits and any other terms of employment. Here are the key areas where age bias claims typically pop up:

DOT rule calls for direct observation of drug tests

08/20/2009

If you have transportation workers in safety-sensitive jobs, take note: New U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rules kick in Aug. 31 that affect return-to-work drug tests given to employees who previously tested positive or underwent drug rehab.

Are we required to send job-offer letters?

08/18/2009

The practice of sending job-offer letters to successful applicants is well established and well intentioned. But is it wise? Learn what to consider before you dash off an offer letter—plus six more tips on making legally smart job offers.

Beware that bloated résumé: Extra skills don’t necessarily mean better qualified

08/14/2009

Employees who want a promotion sometimes get upset when they aren’t selected, especially if the job winds up going to someone they perceive as less skilled or talented. But if the spurned employee’s extra skills or training weren’t necessary, they aren’t particularly relevant. And they’re certainly no proof that the promotion process was tainted by bias.