Sexual Harassment Liability, Seven Steps to Avoid

The United States Supreme Courts landmark 1998 decision makes clear that employers preventive and remedial actions are crucial to the question of liability,” says business-training expert Myron Curry, president of BusinessTrainingMedia.com. The decision says the purpose of sexual harassment laws is not for courts to intervene between employers and employees, but rather to encourage employers to themselves take steps to prevent sexual harassment and remedy it if it occurs.” Curry suggests that if employers take these seven simple actions, they can greatly reduce their organizations sexual harassment liability exposure.

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W. Garnett & Associate
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

How to Avoid Employee Lawsuits

Small business owners might be surprised to learn they they are vulnerable to the same worker complaints that plague corporate America. In particular, more employees are suing companies for violating wage-and-hour rules, typically claiming they weren’t paid overtime. A small business that lacks in-house counsel or a human resources department can unwittingly violate federal or state laws covering workplaces. And many business owners, eager to create informal workplaces, simply neglect to educate staff on harassment or discrimination polices. The following steps will help you avoid a potentially devastating employee lawsuit.

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W.Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1888-884-3910

How to Stand Out In a Job Interview – 5 Tips from CareerWomen.com

To get that coveted offer, the interview must be considered one of the most important steps in the hiring process to create a relationship with a potential employer. With the right preparation, qualified candidates can gain the advantage.  JillXan Donnelly, president of CareerWomen.com advises, “Practice, practice, practice. Many questions, such as those inquiring about your experience and qualifications, should be expected. By creating the right storyline to anticipated questions, your delivery will sound natural and confident. Remember, if you are qualified, the interview is where you can win or lose the game.”

To get the job, CareerWomen.com offers these five interviewing tips:

1. Be the qualified candidate
Know why you are qualified for the position by matching your experience to the specific requirements of the job ahead of the interview. By offering examples that match your qualifications to the exact position, the interview will be a breeze for you.

2. Prepare by doing your homework
Do your homework on the company as well as the position. Get up to date on the company’s current business issues so you can address any questions about direction and opportunity. Develop a list of questions prior to the interview to demonstrate your interest and curiosity about the company.

3. Speak with confidence
This is not the time to by shy and timid. Be confident about your professional accomplishments and talk about your results. Talk about yourself through your previous employer’s words to give your claims needed validation. If you have some work samples you are proud of that are related to the position, why not show them off?

4. Act like a professional
This may seem like common sense, but you’ll be surprised how many people forget this completely. Common courtesies will take you a long way at setting the right professional impression. For example, dress appropriately for the position, be sure to turn off the cell phone and most importantly, be on time!

5. Be a good communicator
Listen and be appropriately enthusiastic. Listen to the questions before you answer. If you interrupt, it could send a warning flag that you are not interested. Lean forward, listen carefully and be sure to make direct eye contact.

Additional resources to enhance professional development and advance women’s careers can be found at CareerWomen.com including career development tools, career and employment news, professional associations and employment opportunities across the US with some of the best women-friendly companies.

More Claims For Employers In 2010

Employers should expect more claims in 2010.  Those and other findings were part of    the sixth annual “Workplace Class Action Litigation Report” by Seyfarth Shaw LLP, analyzing class-action and collective action court rulings of 2009 involving claims against employers in federal and state courts.

Original Article

W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

DHS Reports on Employer Enforcement and Compliance

Janet Napolitano, the DHS Secretary, has indicated that employer investigations will continue and, possibly, intensify.  In 2009 there were $24 million in employer fines (compared to zero in 2006).  In 2009, 45 businesses and 47 individuals have been debarred while in 2008 only one was debarred.  Immigration compliance and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued  over 1,000 I-9 Notice of Inspection (NOI) in 2009 to random employers with another 1,000 announced at the symposium.   I-9 audits, many of which are conducted randomly, may result in civil penalties, and where bad faith is found, lead to criminal prosecution.

Link to the full article.

W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

FLSA Pitfall Compliance

FLSA pitfalls will be costly to the workplace.  Wage and hour claims are increasing rapidly, which can be costly to business owners who are unaware of the proper guidelines, attorneys at Potomac, Md.-based law firm Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy, & Ecker, P.A. have witnessed. Further, class action lawsuits are also becoming increasingly prevalent.

link to the full article.

W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

Lawsuits To Continue With FLSA

Employers awareness of FLSA will cost you in the future.  The FLSA is an old law creating new headaches for employers. The FLSA requires the payment of a minimum hourly wage as well as overtime pay to non-exempt employees who work in excess of 40 hours during a work week. Seeking to recover significant money by representing large groups of employees, plaintiff attorneys have targeted every industry, including construction, with FLSA lawsuits. The number of private FLSA lawsuits has increased for several years, and this trend is expected to continue.    

Link to article.

W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

What Employers Need to Know, President Obama

What’s happening in the new administration?  President Obama just celebrated his first year in office and his Administration has been busy! From the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), employers of all sizes are starting to see the effects of the Obama Administration’s workplace agenda. The watchword for all employers in 2010 is “compliance.” Each of these agencies is slated to receive a substantial budget increase this year and all of these agencies are planning hiring sprees to increase the number investigators and enforcement personnel.

Link to article

W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

The Secret’s Out, Office Romance

What you need to know about workplace romances.  In the past, “the Baby Boomers kept office romance secret” amid fears of career damage or reprisal, says Helaine Olen, co-author with Stephanie Losee of “Office Mate,” a book on the topic. Now, amid growing openness about sexuality and greater equality between the sexes, she says, singles “are saying, ‘Why is anybody even bothering to keep this secret at all?”‘

Linked to the article.

W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

What’s The Real Cost Of Accommodation?

W. Garnett & Associates
Human Capital Management
1-888-884-3910

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