Hiring

Use consistent interview questions to ensure fairness in hiring and promotions

04/07/2014

Here’s another reason to create a fair, impartial and consistent interview process: Your ultimate decision on who is hired or promoted is more likely to withstand legal scrutiny if you can show that each candidate interviewed faced the same questions and that each candidate’s performance was assessed by more than one interviewer.

Didn’t hire? Don’t quickly toss application

04/04/2014

Ruby Tuesday, Inc. will pay $575,000 to settle a class-action age discrimination lawsuit filed by the EEOC. It alleged that Ruby Tuesday engaged in a pattern or practice of age discrimination against job applicants who were 40 years of age or older at six of the chain’s restaurants.

Unprofessional employees? Re-evaluate your hiring process

04/01/2014

Expect associates to put business first while at work? Hire people who convey they’ll do just that during the interview.

Managing the multigenerational workforce

03/31/2014

The current workforce consists of four generations with unique strengths, values, expectations and, perhaps, limitations. Used poorly, generation-specific employment practices could create legal liabilities.

Manager allegedly ordered to hire only ‘All-American girls’

03/31/2014

The former manager of the Milk Shake Factory ice cream parlor in Pittsburgh has filed a complaint alleging she was fired for disobeying the company’s discriminatory hiring guidelines. When she was hired to manage the store, the company gave her complete autonomy to hire subordinates as long as they were the “All-American girl” type.

San Francisco’s Fair Chance law limits criminal background checks

03/27/2014

San Francisco has “banned-the-box” on employment applications and has added other restrictions on private employers’ ability to obtain and use criminal history information. The City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the Fair Chance Ordinance in February, and the new law goes into effect Aug. 13.

Ensure arbitration agreement in application isn’t one-sided

03/27/2014

Employers that want to use arbitration to avoid protracted legal battles can include arbitration agreements in their applications and require applicants to sign as a hiring condition. That’s provided the agreement isn’t entirely one-sided.

Job candidates can apply to Marriott via phone app

03/26/2014

In January, the Marriott International hotel chain began accepting applications from job-seekers who apply via their cellphones and tablets. The hospitality giant says it is the first in the industry to offer mobile job applications to would-be employees.

New from the EEOC: Tips on background checks

03/25/2014

The EEOC has released a technical assistance document explaining how employers can legally conduct background checks for employment purposes. The Web-based “Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know” doesn’t introduce any new requirements, but does offer tips on complying with the law, as well as best practices employers should follow.

Electronic I-9s: Can you pre-populate employee data?

03/21/2014

Employers that use electronic systems to complete I-9 verification forms for new hires sometimes streamline the system by pre-populating employee information on Section I of the I-9 with information pulled from the company’s HR software. Is that permissible?