HRIS / Technology

Firing worker for Facebook rant: Is it illegal?

11/22/2010

In what could be a groundbreaking case, the National Labor Relations Board filed an unfair labor practice complaint last month against a Connecticut company that fired a worker who complained about her supervisor on Facebook. This is the first case in which the NLRB has argued that workers’ criticisms on social networking sites are protected activity.

Conducting online background checks? Beware the pitfalls

11/16/2010

Online tools can be highly valuable in recruiting and selecting the best candidates and screening out bad hires. Despite the potential advantages, those activities come with potential employment law risks that are still evolving due to the relatively recent emergence and growth of social media. Some of the obvious and not-so-obvious legal risks:

Set up systems to prevent employee sabotage

11/12/2010

Employees often have legitimate reasons for accusing their employers of retaliation. But sometimes, employees themselves retaliate against a company, either out of malice, or to head off being fired. That’s one reason it pays to try to anticipate employee misfeasance and guard against sabotage.

Abercrombie case highlights risk of electronic I-9 systems

10/25/2010

Clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch paid a $1.05 million fine to the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement last month after ICE cited numerous technology-related problems with the company’s electronic I-9 system.

Employees blog, tweet about products? Beware new risk

10/19/2010

If you have employees preaching about your products or services via blogs, Twitter or other social networking sites, beware a hidden risk. The FTC has issued new Enforcement Guidelines that require employees to disclose their relationships with their employer whenever they post comments or positive reviews about their employer’s product on a social media site.

N.C. firm posts 178% ROI by putting benefits online

10/19/2010

Raleigh, N.C.-based Morganite Industries has reaped a 178% return on the investment it made to put its benefits enrollment, communication and data exchange online. It took only seven months for the 2,500-employee organization—which provides tax, benefits, health, safety and financial services for its parent company, Morgan Crucible—to recoup its initial investment.

How should we go about implementing a system for recording employees’ phone conversations?

10/15/2010

Q. Many of our employees spend most of their time dealing with customers over the phone. For quality control purposes and to make sure workers aren’t making personal telephone calls, we would like to record the calls employees make on company telephones. Is that legal?

Going social: Top 10 pitfalls of social media for business

10/15/2010

Millions of companies and entrepreneurs are jumping into the social media world only to find their efforts aren’t capturing the results they’d hoped for. Half the battle is knowing which mistakes not to make. Here are the top 10 pitfalls companies make, according to Barry Libert, author of the new book Social Nation:

Social media: The 7 elements of a legally smart company policy

10/08/2010

Social media can help you collect industry-based knowledge, reach new customers and build your brand. But those benefits come with their fair share of legal risks. You need a comprehensive social media policy to guide employees on your expectations about their online behavior, especially when that conduct occurs in the name of the organization.

Employees post online reviews? They must disclose relationship

09/24/2010

Be careful if your employees are spreading the word about your company’s products and services online. Last year, the FTC issued new Enforcement Guidelines that require employees to disclose their relationships with their employer whenever they post comments or positive reviews about their employer’s product on a social media site.