Credit Checks – Update
Given the state of the economy, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many states are
proposing legislation that will greatly impact how employers use pre-employment credit checks on applicants and current employees.
Under proposed legislation, the use of pre-employment credit reports and credit checks of current employees would be prohibited under any circumstances. Proponents of the law argue that reform is needed given that credit ratings have fallen dramatically over the years as a result of increased foreclosures and bankruptcies. They also argue that there is no evidence proving that a person’s credit rating is a predictor of job performance. Others argue that credit reports are necessary to determining a person’s fiscal responsibility, stability and trustworthiness, particularly if the job requires the handling of money.
What Would You Do – Social Networking Sites
Question:
An employee notified you that a coworker posted negative comments about a supervisor on his Facebook page. The comments criticized the supervisor’s ability to manage and his intelligence. What would you do?
- Fire the employee for making inappropriate comments.
- Notify the supervisor so he can file a defamation suit against the employee.
- Take appropriate action based on the facts and company policy.
- Post a response on the employee’s Facebook page contradicting the employee’s opinion.
Article Highlights
- Get written authorizations for certain recruiting functions
- Ask job related questions in interview
- Secure any applications and related information
March HR Training: 8th in a Series of 8 Articles
Employers engage in numerous activities during the recruitment and hiring process designed to minimize the risk of negligent hiring claims and to ensure that the individual selected is the best qualified and is a “good fit” in terms of personality and work habits. But sometimes, employers can go too far with their interview questions or their screening techniques and end up violating an individual’s privacy.
Article Highlights
- Keep all confidential information in a secure, locked location
- Share employee information on a need-to-know basis
- Dispose information properly
March HR Training: 7th Article in a Series of 8
From the moment an individual applies for a job to the time he/she leaves the job, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, the employer has obtained an enormous amount of confidential information on the employee and in some cases, the employee’s family. Resumes, job applications, open enrollment forms for medical insurance, and deferred compensation enrollment forms all contain confidential information, including social security numbers, home addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth. Everything a thief needs to steal an individual’s identity.
Article Highlights
- Monitor Blogs, Facebooks, Twitter, & Computers
- Notify employees that you are monitoring
- Implement polices about securing home use of company equipment
March HR Training: 5th Article in a Series of 8
Employees use a variety of information technology tools in the workplace including, e-mail, voicemail, the Internet and most recently, social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and MySpace). Because of technology, employees are able to perform their work, faster, easier and in some cases, remotely. But beware of the privacy issues involved.
