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Reference requests have come under scrutiny in recent years. This because negative references can be deemed an adverse employment action—and thus set the stage for a retaliation claim. On the other hand, even a good reference could be problematic. For example, if a good reference is given for an employee who was terminated due to […]
Using an employee termination checklist can reduce the risk of overlooking information that could lead to discrimination claims or unlawful termination claims in the future. Before making a final decision, first consider three issues: Contract law. “You must comply with promises about reasons and processes.” Marc Jacuzzi noted in a recent BLR webinar. In other […]
Yesterday’s Advisor busted the part-time employee myth; today, how job sharing can improve productivity, morale, and engagement, plus an introduction to the HR checklist program that helps you find problems before the feds do. Job sharing is a special type of part-time employment in which two or more employees share the duties of a single, […]
Many managers and supervisors operate under the misguided belief that part-time employees have fewer rights than full-time employees, but that’s not so. In fact, the DOL does not make any distinction between part time and full time. For guidance, we turned to Compensation.BLR.com. What Is Considered ‘Part-Time’ Employment? There is no federal law that defines […]
Ethical dilemmas in the workplace are quite common, and they’re not always easy to answer. The concepts are straightforward, but the challenge is in the execution. Even when organizations have great policies and procedures and follow the laws and regulations, there’s still a high risk of unethical behavior. For example, some employees may not know […]
Ethics in the workplace aren’t always black and white. Sometimes the issues are obvious and we can easily see when a company is – or isn’t – acting ethically. Other times, actions we may not associate with ethics really can become ethical considerations. This is very important for companies to consider because ethical values set […]
Maintaining employee records can be a time-consuming and arduous task. What pre-employment files should be kept in employee records? Should supervisor notes be included? Are electronic versions of mandatory records acceptable? These questions and many more were addressed by Jason Ritchie in a recent BLR webinar. Here’s a selection of the questions and answers. Q. […]
How many years back into the past can a criminal background check go? What is the difference between an investigative consumer report and a regular consumer report? Can you have different screening processes or factors that warrant disqualification for different positions? These are just a few of the questions that were asked by participants in […]
What policies do you have in place regarding personnel record maintenance? When can you get rid of personnel records? General Guidance for Personnel Record Maintenance “Files should be obviously kept in a central location and someone, typically the HR department, should be the designated custodian. Only the custodian should put things into the file or […]
Employers performing employee background checks are actually subject to Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulations. FCRA applies to all consumer reports and investigative consumer reports, whether they’re conducted in house or by a third-party such as a consumer reporting agency (CRA). FCRA “is a federal law, and it imposes minimum standards on employers that they […]