Who is GINA and Why Do I Care If She’s on Facebook?

What is GINA:

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prohibits employers from collecting genetic information or discriminating based on genetic information.
Genetic information includes information about:

• An individual’s genetic tests
• Genetic tests of family members
• The manifestation of a disease or disorder in family members (i.e., family medical history)

An employer does not violate GINA if it learns of a disease or manifestation inadvertently through a social media platform.

However, the employer must be careful about what it does after it inadvertently gains genetic information; the exception probably doesn’t apply where employer asks follow up questions likely to elicit genetic information.

For example, an employee writes on her Facebook page:

OMG! My mother was just diagnosed with cancer. I can’t believe this is happening to my family again!

What’s the right response? asks Lowe.

A. I’m so sorry to hear the bad news, let me know if there is anything the company can do to support you during this trying time.

OR

B. That’s awful! Does cancer run in your family?

Clearly, answer B will elicit genetic information, and will likely void the “inadvertent” exception to GINA.

Yes, you do have the budget and time to train managers and supervisors with BLR’s^® 10-Minute HR Trainer. Try it at no cost or risk. Get details.

How can you make sure your managers and supervisors handle genetic information (and a couple of dozen other HR challenges) right? There’s only one way—train, train, and train.

Training is critical, but it’s tough to fit it in. To train effectively, you need a program that’s easy for you to deliver and that requires little time from busy schedules. Also, if you’re like most companies in these tight budget days, you need a program that’s reasonable in cost.

We asked our editors what they recommend for training supervisors in a minimum amount of time with maximum effect. They came back with BLR’s unique 10-Minute HR Trainer.

Train your line managers with BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer. There won’t be time for classroom boredom. Try it for free.

As its name implies, this product trains managers and supervisors in critical HR skills in as little as 10 minutes for each topic. 10-Minute HR Trainer offers these features:

Trains in 50 key HR topics under all major employment laws, including manager and supervisor responsibilities, and how to legally carry out managerial actions from hiring to termination. (See a complete list of topics below.)

Uses the same teaching sequence master teachers use. Every training unit includes an overview, bullet points on key lessons, a quiz, and a handout to reinforce the lesson later.

Completely prewritten and self-contained. Each unit comes as a set of reproducible documents. Just make copies or turn them into overheads, and you’re done. (Take a look at a sample lesson below.)

Updated continually. As laws change, your training needs to do so as well. 10-Minute HR Trainer provides new lessons and updated information every 90 days, along with a monthly Training Forum newsletter, for as long as you are in the program.

Works fast. Each session is so focused that there’s not a second’s waste of time. Your managers are in and out almost before they can look at the clock, yet they remember small details even months later.

Evaluate It at No Cost for 30 Days

We’ve arranged to make 10-Minute HR Trainer available to our readers for a 30-day, in-office, no-cost trial. Review it at your own pace and try some lessons with your colleagues. If it’s not for you, return it at our expense. Click here and we’ll set you up with 10-Minute HR Trainer.

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