Category: Recruiting

Recruiting is changing at a rapid pace. Some organizations are abandoning traditional methods for social media; some think software can do a better job than people.

One-Third of Résumés Lie—Reference Check, Anyone?

Everyone agrees that reference checks are important, but actually doing them is difficult. Employers want to get information about candidates, but when other employers want the same information from them, they don’t want to give it. That’s frustrating, says Employment Screening Resources (ESR). One-Third of Résumés Contain a Lie According to industry experts, up to […]

Are Your Performance Appraisals Setting You Up for a Lawsuit?

Yesterday’s Advisor offered 10 Rules for Appraisals that will make them stand up in court. (Go here for the 10 Rules.) Today, we feature a checklist to help you review your appraisal system, and we talk about the real first step of any appraisal, a well-written job description. An effective, legally sound performance appraisal is: […]

Fired for Something That’s Not Even on My Job Description?

In yesterday’s Advisor, we looked at Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issues related to job descriptions. Today we’ll look at the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and discrimination issues, and we’ll take a look at a unique set of job description samples that might just solve all your job description challenges. (Read yesterday’s article here.) […]

Job Descriptions—The First Place the Feds Look

When "they" come to check up on you, whether they’re agency investigators or class-action-minded attorneys, the first stop is the job description. Today we’ll begin our look at three of the fed’s favorite job description checkpoints: ADA, FLSA, and discrimination. From the ADA standpoint, the most important thing the job description does is to delineate […]

Key to Successful Flex, Telework Programs

Our headline in a recent issue of HR Daily Advisor—"He’s back … in the lobby … with a gun"—was calculated to attract attention; that’s what headlines do. But not the kind of attention we attracted. A number of readers were upset by the headline and wrote to tell us so. The headline was taken from […]

Simple Rule: Base Every Action on the Job Description

In yesterday’s Advisor, we told the story of the job description that lost a lawsuit. Today, we offer more on job descriptions and lawsuit avoidance, and we’ll take a look at a unique collection of job descriptions—already written and ready to use. Employment laws are numerous, and it’s a challenge for managers to learn them […]

Case Study—Poor Job Description Dooms Defense

Job descriptions aren’t just an administrative tool—they’re part of your lawsuit-fighting arsenal. Unfortunately, too many employers don’t realize that until it’s too late. In one recent case, the job description played an important role—one that was devastating to the defense. “Royce Madison,” an avid sportsman who worked at the Oakley Park District Fitness Center (OPFC), […]

10 Critical "Compensable Factors" in Job Descriptions

In yesterday’s Advisor, we talked about the three different job descriptions most jobs have. Today, we’ll look at 10 specific factors you can evaluate as you work to unite those three job descriptions into one. These 10 elements describe the specific job requirements in terms of “compensable factors.” You can use these factors to gauge […]

Every Job Has 3 Job Descriptions

Every job has at least three job descriptions: the company’s (the written one on file), the boss’s (rarely the same), and the employee’s (the one that describes what he or she actually does). In an ideal world, they would all be the same. But in the real world, they aren’t the same, and that causes […]

Can Job Descriptions Lose Your Case in Court?

Job descriptions may seem mundane, but when they show up in court, they can kill your case if they’re not accurate. About.com‘s Susan M. Heathfield shares three key warnings for employers. 1. Job descriptions sometimes become outdated as soon as you write them. In this fast-paced, changing, customer-driven environment, it’s a challenge to keep job […]