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Personality tests don’t trammel constitutional rights, but beware risks

04/01/2005
Many employers use personality tests to identify job-related characteristics, such as maturity or emotional stability. But these tests can carry legal risk when applied incorrectly.
If you use personality tests, …

Can you limit employees’ time to file suit?

03/01/2005
An employee’s ability to sue your organization expires at different times under various employment laws. For example, in most states, employees can file sexual harassment lawsuits within 300 days of the …

Make privacy a cornerstone of your culture

03/01/2005
Confidentiality can quickly become a legal issue in many workplace decisions and activities.

Use an ‘accuracy statement’ to sniff out applicants’ lies

03/01/2005
Issue: Creating a legal basis to reject (or fire) people who lie on their job applications.
Benefit: Providing a “statement of accuracy” on applications gives you strong legal standing against …

Request birth date only after conditional job offer

03/01/2005

Q. We don’t ask applicants for their age or birth date on our application. But we plan to start conducting background checks on applicants whom we’re seriously considering. The company that will conduct the checks for us said the birth date is on all the applications they see and that it’s instrumental to conducting the checks. What should we do? —V.T., Wyoming

All employers now have ability to confirm I-9 documents online

03/01/2005
The federal government extended a pilot program to all 50 states that will let you go online to check the authenticity of new hires’ work authorization documents, such as Social Security …

Review workplace treatment of Hispanic employees

03/01/2005
Reason: The federal government is reaching out to Hispanic people to make them more aware of their workplace rights. Latest effort: The EEOC launched a new Spanish-language version of its Web …

Entice applicants to beat a path to your door

03/01/2005
The hassle and cost of slogging to work is a big reason that good employees quit. And commuting pains aren’t easing: Two-thirds of new jobs are now located in the suburbs, …

Should you create an ‘alumni’ Web site for former staff?

03/01/2005
Issue: Establishing a Web site that acts as an online home for your organization’s former employees.
Benefit: Such alumni sites help you recruit former employees (boomerangs), generate referrals and build …

Hair samples are a legitimate method of drug tests.

03/01/2005
A police department ordered one if its officers to provide a hair sample for a drug test after it suspected him of using cocaine. The test, which involved shaving a patch …