HRIS / Technology

Quality checks of phone calls don’t give you license to eavesdrop

04/01/2002

An administrative sales assistant at an insurance agency quit after learning that her personal phone calls were being monitored and recorded by her company through a hidden tape recorder. …

Direct employee retirement inquiries to new Labor hotline

04/01/2002

In the wake of the Enron debacle, the U.S. Labor Department has introduced a new toll-free number, (866) 275-7922, for companies and employees who have questions about their retirement …

Don’t fear ‘cybersmear’; go after employees who libel you online

02/01/2002

Research scientist Michelangelo Delfino was fired for harassing fellow workers at a medical lab. A co-worker, Mary Day, resigned two months later. Soon after, the pair used the Internet to unleash …

Tortoise to hare: EEOC speeds resolution of bias cases

02/01/2002

If an employee files a discrimination charge against you with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), don’t expect the case to hang in limbo. Reason: The EEOC is processing new discrimination …

Employee or contractor? Failing to check can double damages

01/01/2002

Bell Atlantic Corp., now Verizon, hired drivers for its senior executives. While some drivers were considered Bell employees, others were independent contractors paid a flat hourly rate. They had to carry …

Beware legal traps of hiring online reference checkers

12/01/2001

Since Sept. 11, security fears have sent companies scurrying to do criminal background checks on job applicants. Many companies are outsourcing this function to Web-based reference checkers. But beware: Some …

Build a firewall against Internet, e-mail liabilities

12/01/2001

Whether you have a work force of three or 3,000, any time you let a worker use your e-mail or Internet service, you’re putting your company at risk for lawsuits and …

Don’t let blabbing employees hide their identity on the Internet

09/01/2001

Imagine that an employee posts confidential information about your company on an Internet message board. What do you do? One company sued the message-board site to learn the identity of the …

Consider leasing staff; PEO market is evolving

09/01/2001

Look into turning your back-office duties over to a professional employer organization (PEO). New trends and fresh players have heightened competition among PEOs, which serve as a “co-employer” and handle recruiting, …

Perry Mason meets e-Bay: Should you shop for lawyers online?

08/01/2001

If you need a lawyer to handle an employment issue, you can now go online, announce your legal needs and wait for offers from interested lawyers. But as with many things …