Being responsible for hiring new employees means exercising due diligence to ensure the professionals you select are the best fit for your organization. In addition to evaluating skills and experience, many companies also use background checks to assess a candidate’s educational and employment history, credit, criminal record and more (depending on the industry and position). Applicants have come to expect this step in the hiring process, and HR leaders are used to carrying them out.
Yet, several organizations are now facing steep fines for violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) as part of their background check process. For example, earlier this year, Delta Air Lines agreed to pay a $2.3 million settlement for a class-action lawsuit alleging the company failed to provide more than 40,000 applicants with the appropriate FCRA background check disclosure, according to information from HR Dive.
Here’s what you need to know to help you avoid these types of penalties and ensure your practices comply with FCRA:
As an HR leader, you’re accustomed to helping others develop their skill sets and ascend through the ranks of their chosen career paths. Thanks to your education and experience, you know how to provide the right guidance and support to ensure members of your workforce meet their professional objectives. But what about your own career advancement?
Like the adage, “the cobbler’s children have no shoes,” it’s not uncommon for HR professionals to find themselves so busy assisting others that they have little energy left to focus on their own next steps. While you may have an idea of what you’d like to do, career planning often falls to the wayside when other tasks consume your time and brainpower.
To help you get on track toward your goals, here are several HR career development tips:
As summer draws closer and temperatures rise, May’s roundup proves things are heating up for the HR industry, too.
The Department of Labor reports hiring is surging, and unemployment is dropping, while Robert Half says a significant chunk of job candidates are reneging on their offers (causing extra headaches for recruiting departments). And the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed two bills that could impact HR processes in the months ahead, though it’s uncertain how this legislation will fare in the Senate. Plus, CRM giant Salesforce pledges to train American workers on crucial tech skills.
To keep you current, here’s a quick breakdown of the biggest stories from May:
When it comes to making hiring decisions, most employers begin by evaluating hard skills — technical competencies such as the ability to use a particular computer program, operate a machine or speak a foreign language. After narrowing the list down to the best-qualified candidates, HR leaders typically begin assessing professionals’ soft skills, such as communication, leadership, teamwork and time management.
Both sets of skills are critical to an employee’s success, as both impact business outcomes and both factor into hiring choices. But while most companies offer their employees numerous opportunities to further develop technical skills throughout their career, few organizations focus on nurturing their team members’ soft skills.
Here’s why you should focus on building your workforce’s soft skills, and how to do it effectively.
If administering the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) gives you an enormous headache, you’re not alone. From deciphering medical certification information and assessing employee eligibility to completing required paperwork and submitting notice, it’s certainly no simple task.
But FMLA doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Below, we’ve shared a few actionable tips you can use to streamline your processes and get FMLA forms right.
