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Hiring

Avoid bias against newest ‘protected class’–the unemployed

03/05/2013
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have laws protecting the unemployed from discrimination. The EEOC has investigated bias against the unemployed and warns employers they could face disparate-impact discrimination lawsuits if screening out the unemployed hurts women and minorities more than other groups.

Study spots patterns in New York discrimination litigation

03/05/2013
Employers continue to prevail in most New York discrimination cases, but litigation is taking longer. Those are among the key findings of Bond, Schoeneck & King’s recently published 2012 Study of Employment Discrimination Litigation in the Northern and Western Districts of New York.

OFCCP: Background checks only if job-related, necessary

03/05/2013
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs has issued new guidance about how and when federal contractors may use a job applicant’s criminal background in the hiring process.

How to avoid liability when adding new employees

03/05/2013
Hiring great employees is difficult—and legally dangerous. Just a few ill-timed words in a want ad or interview can trigger a legal complaint. Here are the key liability hot spots to watch out for.

In Burnsville, religious bias defense doesn’t have a prayer

03/05/2013
Altec Industries has agreed to pay a job applicant $25,000 after it refused to hire the Seventh-Day Adventist to work at its Burnsville, N.C., facility. The applicant alleged that when he revealed that his religion forbade him to work from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday, the company refused to hire him.

Require bilingual skills? Document why

02/27/2013

Many organizations serve ­customers who speak languages other than English, and thus they require em­­­ployees to have specific bilingual skills. If that describes your organization, make sure you can defend the language requirement. As one employer recently learned, that may mean having to disclose other­­wise confidential information in court.

Engineering firm diversifies with immigrants

02/25/2013
Greeley and Hansen, a Chicago engineering firm, is actively hiring legal immigrants in an effort to create a new pipeline of hard-to-find qualified engineers and diversify its workforce.

Are there special California rules that dictate how we use employment applications?

02/20/2013
Q. Are we required to use an application for prospective applicants and if so, what information must we in­­clude? What information should we leave off our application?

How does California law affect hiring?

02/20/2013
Q. For the first time in a while, we need to hire new staff. What issues should we take into account during the recruiting process?

Reference checks: How to coax information from past employers

02/13/2013
Due to fear of lawsuits, many former employers are reluctant to assist you with employment references. If you are fortunate enough to be able to ask questions of an applicant’s former employer, don’t squander the opportunity. Use these tricks for getting valuable information.