In yesterday’s Advisor, we covered user-friendliness of online recruiting sites. Today, dangers of online recruiting that all employers should beware of, plus an introduction to the “lawsuit preventer,” audit checklists.
Beware the Default Setting
Many companies use software to set up and manage Internet job ads. It’s tempting to let the default setting put in the “boilerplate” of your ad, but realize that this copy may have been written to federal standards on equal opportunity, while your state’s standards may be different. Check what the defaults say against all the requirements of your jurisdiction and modify as needed.
Not so Fast with the Delete Key
Because Internet ads have a wide reach, expect a flood of résumés. It will be tempting to simply delete the obvious rejects instead of printing them out and filing as you would the paper version. Be aware that an applicant rejected at the outset may file suit over the rejection, and employers should have the paperwork to answer the charge.
Electronically store or print and keep all records of applicants on file for at least a year. Remember that what constitutes an “applicant” depends on your organization’s own policy and practice.
Don’t Let Down Your Guard in E-mail Correspondence
E-mail is so easy and informal that you may be tempted to let down your guard in communications with potential hires. However, e-mail creates a record that can be used as evidence of discrimination, promises of employment, or other legal claims. Therefore, you should have standard responses to the most common questions or refer applicants to a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page in the careers/jobs section of your company website.
Protect Against Computer Viruses
Corporate employment sites that solicit attached résumés, writing samples, or other outside documents also invite associated computer viruses. In order to avoid this danger, consider setting up more stringent filters and antiviral software to screen incoming applicant documents or refusing attachments altogether.
Instead, you may require applicants to paste their application information into preset templates that do not
Find problems before the feds do. HR Audit Checklists ensures that you have a chance to fix problems before government agents or employees’ attorneys get a chance. Try the program at no cost or risk.
Overdependence on Electronic Recruiting
When designing your recruiting strategy, remember that the Internet, however valuable, cannot be the sole replacement for other forms of recruiting. Employers must maintain a diversity of recruiting methods in order to reach different groups of candidates, avoid disparate impact discrimination, and maintain diversity.
Online recruiting—one of what, a few dozen areas you have to worry about? And each one of them could be going wrong while you’re not looking. The solution? There’s only one: regular audits. Audits are the only way to make sure that employees in every corner of your facility are operating within policy guidelines. If you’re not auditing, someone’s probably violating a policy right now.
The rub is that for most HR managers, it’s hard to get started auditing—where do you begin?
BLR’s editors recommend a unique product called HR Audit Checklists. Why are checklists so great? Because they’re completely impersonal, forcing you to jump through all the necessary hoops one by one. They also ensure consistency in how operations are conducted. That’s vital in HR, where it’s all too easy to land in court if you discriminate in how you treat one employee over another.
Using the “hope” system to avoid lawsuits? (As in: we “hope” we’re doing it right.) Be sure! Check out every facet of your HR program with BLR’s unique checklist-based audit program. Click here to try HR Audit Checklists on us for 30 days!
HR Audit Checklists compels thoroughness. For example, it contains checklists both on Preventing Sexual Harassment and on Handling Sexual Harassment Complaints. You’d likely never think of all the possible trouble areas without a checklist; but with it, just scan down the list, and instantly see where you might get tripped up.
In fact, housed in the HR Audit Checklists binder are dozens of extensive lists, organized into reproducible packets, for easy distribution to line managers and supervisors. There’s a separate packet for each of the following areas:
- Staffing and training (incorporating Equal Employment Opportunity in recruiting and hiring, including immigration issues)
- HR administration (including communications, handbook content, and recordkeeping)
- Health and safety (including OSHA responsibilities)
- Benefits and leave (including health cost containment, COBRA, FMLA, workers’ compensation, and several areas of leave)
- Compensation (payroll and the Fair Labor Standards Act)
- Performance and termination (appraisals, discipline, and termination)
HR Audit Checklists is available to HR Daily Advisor readers for a no-cost, no-risk evaluation in your office for up to 30 days. Visit HR Audit Checklists, and we’ll be happy to arrange it.