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Privacy

Heed lesson from the cola giants: Tighten cap on your trade secrets

11/01/2006

Now’s a good time to review your policy on protecting confidential information, such as product samples. Restrict access to as few employees as possible, and take swift action if you learn of any security breaches. As the biggest cola competitors discovered, trade-secret thieves will try anything …

Rethink noncompete contracts after big Supreme Court ruling

11/01/2006

A significant Texas Supreme Court decision handed down last month makes it easier for employers to write and enforce noncompete agreements in Texas. The ruling, ASM v. Johnson and Strunk & Associates, provides important protection for businesses that want to use noncompete agreements to limit unfair competition from former employees …

Review policy wording to ensure no e-Mail privacy rights

11/01/2006

New Jersey employers have every right to monitor their employees’ e-mail messages and computer usage so long as they have a strong electronic communications policy. That’s true even if the content might otherwise fall under attorney-client privilege …

Screen teleworkers before sending sensitive data home

10/01/2006

Allowing employees to work from home can be a boon for employers trying to increase productivity and keep talented employees from leaving for more flexible jobs. But this flexibility can present an increased risk of fraud, theft and legal action if you keep personal information about employees or customers on your computer network …

Union campaigns can’t invade employees’ privacy

10/01/2006

Unions, trying to regain the luster they lost over several decades, have embarked on aggressive organizational campaigns. But that doesn’t mean you have to put up with their disruptive, harassing attempts to contact and organize your employees …

Employee blogs raise privacy, confidentiality issues for employers

09/01/2006

Most organizations have comprehensive Internet, e-mail and electronic communications policies that spell out what’s acceptable usage and what’s not. But few employers have addressed a growing problem: the proliferation of employee Web logs, or "blogs" …

Troopers Cite ADA and Privacy in Lawsuit Over Call-In Policy

09/01/2006

The Pennsylvania State Troopers’ Association has filed a lawsuit against the state police, arguing that troopers shouldn’t have to tell their duty desk the specific reason they’re calling in sick. The association alleges that the call-in policy violates the ADA because it may force troopers to disclose a disability …

5 tricky issues in accommodating mental disabilities

09/01/2006

A top-performing employee is diagnosed with depression and now says her medication makes it impossible for her to make it to work on time. Must an employer change her work schedule? A job applicant volunteers that he is intellectually disabled but says he can perform his job with a job coach. Is that a reasonable accommodation? Are you prepared to answer those questions … and more?

New Pa. law restricts use of Social Security numbers

08/01/2006

Pennsylvania employers will have to go to greater lengths to keep employees’ and customers’ Social Security numbers private in the wake of new legislation signed by Gov. Rendell this summer …

Silence talk of employee health info; loose lips sink HR

07/01/2006

You know to keep employees’ health records confidential and locked away. Yet some HR professionals and supervisors aren’t so cautious when it comes to in-house talk of health information. Use the following court case to remind supervisors about the legal dangers of such gossip …