Credit checks may become a thing of the past for most employers. Seven states (California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, and Washington) have laws prohibiting employers from checking credit reports unless there is a nexus to actual job responsibilities. However, these laws do permit credit checks on applicants whose jobs provide access to company or [...]
Representative Anthony Weiner’s Internet indiscretions have become fodder for clever tabloid headlines and late night comedy sketches (even we have joined the fun). With a couple of clicks on his smartphone, Representative Weiner posted a picture of his crotch (intended for a female fan) on the World Wide Web. We can all chuckle and shake [...]
A nationally featured story involving a “Facebook Firing” is making a lot of waves, but is all this attention warranted yet? The story is that of Dawnmarie Souza who in Facebook posts referred to her supervisor at American Medical Response (AMR) as (among other things) a “scumbag.” While the juicy details make for interesting water cooler conversation, this case is, so far, legally insignificant. Contrary to many reports, there has been no “ruling” in this case by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), only a “Complaint” by a Regional Office. However, although the law has not changed and no decision has yet been issued, this case does remind employers (both unionized and union free) to consider the implications of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) on their social media policies.
As Published in the July/August Journal of Corporate Recruiting Leadership
On June 17, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a highly anticipated workplace privacy case, Ontario v. Quon. However, the outcome was anticlimactic as the Court found a narrow basis for deciding the case and did not touch the privacy issue, leaving it for another case and another day. In this case, the Ontario, California police [...]