Hiring

Drug test leads to disability bias suit against Chicago firm

12/19/2011

Employers know to be wary of drug tests because they sometimes falsely show that someone has been using illegal drugs. Now Chicago-based United Insurance has learned of another danger: Drug tests can trigger disability discrimination lawsuits.

Employees must apply before suing for failure to promote

12/16/2011

Supervisors don’t have crystal balls that help them tell the future or read employees’ minds. Unless an employee expresses an interest in being promoted, they don’t have to consider him for open positions.

10 weirdest boasts on applicants’ résumés

12/15/2011

“Creative writing” on résumés has risen along with the unemployment rate. Sometimes, it’s outright deception. In other cases, applicants take the oddball route in a bid to stand out. Some real-life examples:

Are reference checks a waste of time?

12/14/2011

Q. We are re-examining our applicant screening process. One idea we’re considering is eliminating calling previous employers for reference checks. We haven’t found those calls to be very helpful, because most former employers will only confirm dates of employment and job title. Is this a good idea?

Get ready for a new federally protected class: the unemployed

12/14/2011

Employers may be surprised to learn there is a growing movement to add the unemployed to the list of people who belong to a protected class. If leaders in the U.S. Senate and the EEOC have their way, it may no longer be legal for employers to show a preference to hire only those who are currently employed.

Asian food vendor in hot water over hiring practices

12/13/2011

The Nishimoto Trading Co., which sells Asian foods to various defense department facilities, has agreed to pay $400,000 in back wages to women who alleged the company illegally refused to hire them. Nishimoto operates a facility in Miramar.

New EEOC advice on using arrest, conviction records

12/13/2011

The EEOC issued an advisory letter last month that gives employers more clarity on their proper use of applicants’ arrest and conviction records during the hiring process.

ICE reports record number of I-9 audits, employer arrests

12/08/2011

This was not the year to get sloppy with your I-9 forms. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a record 2,393 audit notices to inspect employers’ I-9s this year, a more than 375% increase from audits in 2008.

AT&T settles ADEA suit

12/07/2011

AT&T has settled a suit filed by former workers who took early retirement offers from the company and then asked to be rehired. AT&T claimed early retirement packages made the workers ineligible to return to work.

3% withholding bites the dust; vets get jobs tax credits

12/05/2011

Congress has repealed the dreaded withholding provision under which state and local governments would have been required to withhold 3% of payments made to any payee for goods and services. The provision was slated to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013.