According to this recent SHRM survey, only 18% of companies have used social media to screen job candidates. Most cite the legal risks of screening candidates as the reason for not implementing a social-media background check. While a social-media background check may not be useful in certain instances, I can…
The Employer Handbook Blog
Barbie Shagwell, whips, and other social-media hiring red flags
Two weeks ago, I was in Las Vegas at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium, presenting on using social media to make hiring decisions. If you would like to obtain a copy of my presentation, just head on over to our Facebook fan page, “like” us, and download it. After…
Occupy National Labor Relations Board?!? #OccupyNLRB
Back in September, I joked that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) was on the verge of disbanding. (Ok, maybe it wasn’t “ha! ha!” funny. Just work with me here, will ya?) How does this blog post relate to gridlock in Paris and a red circle? Hella-existential, I’d say… Now,…
Your employees’ “private” Facebook posts are not private
What is this? A broken record? Yesterday, I blogged about a recent NY appellate decision in which the court held that an employee who had sued her employer would have have to turn over her Facebook postings that related to the case. Today, we head south down 95, and then…
Can you access an ex-employee’s Facebook posts if she sues?
What a whirlwind 12 months it’s been for Edith Employee! Or, should I say, Edith “former” Employee? Last year, she was an employee for ABC Company. This year, she is suing ABC for sexual harassment. Among other things, Edith claims damages for physical and psychological injuries, including the inability to…
U.S. employees had a lot of discrimination claims is FY2011
How many claims were filed? And how much money did the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recover for individuals? Find out after the jump… * * * According to this November 15, 2011 press release from the EEOC, the number of discrimination claims are skyrocketing: The EEOC received a record…
Top 5 Reasons Employers Give Their Employees the Boot
I’m in Las Vegas. So, for today, Jane Smith has control of the The Employer handbook. Jane is a freelance writer and blogger. She writes about free background checks for Backgroundcheck.org. After the jump, check out her top 5 reasons employers give employees the boot. Questions and comments can be…
POLL: Would you fire this employee for her Facebook comments?
I read this on ZDnet yesterday: Administrative Law Judge Ellen Bass has ruled Jennifer O’Brien, a first-grade teacher at School 21 in Paterson, New Jersey, should lose her tenured job, because of a Facebook comment she made about her students. O’Brien has been on administrative leave since March, which is…
This is what a social-media policy in a unionized workplace looks like
Do you have a unionized workforce? If you have a social-media policy, it should not expressly restrict employees’ rights to discuss terms and conditions of employment. Otherwise, you may be violating the National Labor Relations Act. And to those non-union employers who have social-media policies, don’t think for a second…
6 things you must know about social media & your workforce
Cisco just completed this study, which shows just how much social media, device freedom, and mobile work means to the next generation. Thinking about banning social media in the workplace? Before you flip the kill switch, read the rest of this post after the jump… * * * More…