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Hiring

Ensure there’s no bias in contract hiring, too

05/16/2011

Almost every employer understands that they can’t discriminate against employees on the basis of race. But race discrimination protections also apply even when employers contract out their work. Contractors who believe they have suffered bias can sue under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Set salaries with help from most reputable web sites

05/12/2011
As hiring picks up due to the firming economy, organizations want to offer competitive salaries that aren’t inordinately lower or higher than those available from competitors. Here are the most reputable web sites that track pay for hundreds of professions and specialties.

Are you ready for the EEOC’s enforcement crackdown?

05/11/2011
The EEOC received a record 99,922 charges in the 2010 fiscal year—the most the agency has received in its 45-year history. Given this sharp increase in charge activity, now is a good time to review your personnel policies and practices to make sure you’re taking appropriate steps to help prevent potential dis­crimination claims.

Harassment a problem in the past? That’s no excuse for not hiring women

05/11/2011

Some work environments are more prone to sexual harassment than others. That shouldn’t keep you from hiring women for positions in a largely male workplace. The answer is to educate em­ployees about harassment and then punish anyone who violates your anti-harassment policy.

Black Jacksonville firefighters sue for race bias in testing

05/11/2011
A group of black firefighters are suing the city of Jacksonville and their union, alleging that white firefighters illegally had an opportunity to view promotional tests before they were administered.

IRS ramps up HIRE correspondence audits

05/11/2011
You knew it was going to happen. With so much revenue at stake, the IRS has begun correspondence audits of employers that claimed the 6.2% Social Secur­ity credit against wages paid to new hires under the 2010 Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act.

10 tips to keep cool when handling summer hiring

05/10/2011
The paperwork generated by summer hires doesn’t have to make you hot under the collar. These tips will help you tame the hiring process.

Dayton: the next New Haven? Police hiring tests to be tossed

05/06/2011

Dayton officials are poised to toss out 748 passing police-hiring exam scores and conduct oral interviews to improve minority hiring for the city’s police department. At first glance, the situation in Day­­ton seems to resemble the case in Ricci v. DeStefano, a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court case. There are important differences, however.

How to improve the job candidate experience

05/06/2011
How would you grade your organization’s application process? Tracking the candidate experience can improve it and enhance your organization’s HR brand among potential applicants. First step: Solicit feedback from candidates about their experiences with recruiting, application, interviewing and web site interaction.

Bias against applicants who never apply? Ruling in case involving criminal background checks

05/04/2011

Under limited circumstances, a job applicant might be able to win a discrimination lawsuit without actually applying for a job. For example, someone could conceivably prove that it would have been be futile to even bother filling out an application. Fortunately, such cases are rare.