Hiring

Texas’ new hiring law should help employers and convicts

08/07/2013

Gov. Rick Perry has signed legislation providing important protections for employers facing negligent hiring or supervision claims. The new law also makes it more attractive for employers to hire applicants with criminal records.

Drug test inconclusive? Offer a second chance

08/07/2013

If a prehire drug test is inconclusive, you may want to offer the applicant a second chance to take the test.

Red Cross is first nonprofit to team up with VA for Vets

07/31/2013

The American Red Cross has become the first organization other than a government agency to partner with the Uncle Sam’s VA for Vets program, which trains veterans in preparation for high-technology jobs outside the military.

Cull interview lists to ensure you include the most-qualified candidates

07/30/2013

Before you begin talking to candidates, make sure everyone you selected for an interview opportunity is among the best qualified, and that you haven’t passed over anyone who is obviously as well-qualified as other applicants. That’s the best way to avoid a needless failure-to-hire suit.

Concord Chick-fil-A sued for half-baked hiring approach

07/30/2013

The EEOC is suing a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Concord, alleging violations of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act that almost any savvy HR professional would have known to avoid.

What do we need to consider when crafting a policy on unpaid intern injuries?

07/26/2013

Q. We recently started to provide unpaid internship opportunities to local college students… The interns are not subject to the same process as other permanent or temporary employees in terms of background checks and workers’ compensation insurance. Now we’re looking at how best to structure this relationship to address issues such as what happens if an intern is hurt at a client facility. How should we approach this?

Feel free to place reasonable background check conditions on job offers

07/26/2013

Good news for employers that have had to revoke conditional employment offers: Employers that discover disqualifying information after an offer has been tendered but before the candidate starts work are free to revoke the offer. That won’t result in a big jury award.

Buying business and rehiring staff? Beware excluding employees who have filed lawsuits

07/23/2013

When you buy a business, the employees generally don’t automatically transfer. Typically, the new owner decides which employees to keep on the payroll. Before you exclude any existing employees from consideration, make sure that rejecting them won’t look like a failure to hire because they have previously filed discrimination litigation.

Medical pot laws don’t prohibit drug testing

07/23/2013

You are free to tell employees they can be terminated for having marijuana in their systems and then randomly test for the substance. That’s true even if a doctor recommends that the employee use medical marijuana.

When is the right time to do background checks?

07/19/2013

Q. When should we be doing our background checks: Before an offer is made? After the offer is made and before employment? Or after employment has begun? We generally do the check after we make an offer and before employment starts.