Privacy

Proposed regs would strengthen HIPAA’s privacy provisions

05/02/2023

Proposed regulations issued April 17 by the Department of Health and Human Services would extend the scope of HIPAA’s privacy protections specifically to women who travel to other states to receive reproductive health-care services where those services are legal and would apply to almost all judicial or administrative proceedings related to this care.

Supreme Court to decide: Which conversations with lawyers are privileged?

12/21/2022

For the first time in 40 years, the Supreme Court will hear a case concerning attorney-client privilege. The issue is whether conversations involving matters that are both legal and non-legal are privileged and thus shielded from discovery during litigation.

New year, new laws: Update your compliance!

11/29/2022

States have new laws about human trafficking reporting, hair discrimination, family leave, wage transparency, artificial intelligence and surveillance.

Change your passwords—again

11/22/2022

’Tis hacking season, but it’s always hacking season now. You can repeat password mantras until you’re blue in the face—don’t use the same ones, change them regularly—but employees will use the same ones and won’t change them regularly, because they’re human. Allow employees to choose their passwords, with clear guidance.

NLRB is watching: Don’t spy on your employees

11/15/2022

Concerned by the brave new world of digital supervision, the NLRB issued a memo on Oct. 31 warning employers not to use intrusive or abusive electronic surveillance.

Recruiting scams—watch out!

10/25/2022

Employment scams are on the rise. As if vulnerable, unemployed Americans didn’t have enough to worry about these days—inflation at a 40-year high, a looming recession—scammers are taking advantage of the post-pandemic job jitters.

Dobbs follow-up: First court decision addresses HIPAA’s privacy provisions

09/12/2022

A federal court weighs in on employee privacy concerns in the wake of new state medical reporting rules.

New Calif. law could signal HR privacy trend

08/04/2022

Protecting employee privacy has always been a priority for HR professionals, but a just-enacted California law has upped the ante on safeguarding employees’ personal data. The California Privacy Rights Act may become a model for legislation in other states.

Revisit covid testing in light of EEOC moves

07/19/2022

Now that the coronavirus pandemic is well into its third year, it may be time for employers to revisit their policies and practices on testing employees for covid-19 infections. New legal roadblocks to testing have emerged and new EEOC guidance has made compliance more difficult.

Monitoring remote workers can backfire

07/07/2022

Managers trying to electronically monitor their remote employees might want to rethink their snooping strategy. Even as online searches for “how to monitor employees working from home” have increased dramatically since the pandemic began, being Big Brother can backfire.