Blogs

How Did I Get Blamed? The Heartbreak Doctrine of Respondeat Superior

By Michael Cormier Summer’s fast approaching, and for many businesses that means seasonal hiring. In the good ol’ summertime, certain industries and individuals are looking to hire: landscapers, pools, pool maintenance companies, amusement parks, babysitters and nanny services, summer camp personnel, just to name a few. This time of year, the legal doctrine of “respondeat […]

Seasonal Hiring: Not a Good Time to Be Lax

Seasonal Hiring: Not a Good Time to Be Lax By Michael Cormier Spring is finally here. The season when thoughts turn to warm weather, baseball, and blooming plant life. And if you’re in HR, seasonal hiring. For a lot of industry, especially retail, spring is a busy time. Obvious examples are nurseries and the big […]

HAPPY WORK ENVIRONMENT = HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAPPY WORK ENVIRONMENT = HAPPY NEW YEAR By Michael Cormier Here we go again. Another year, another opportunity. Another opportunity to grow our businesses, to increase our bottom lines, to set and exceed goals. It’s the time of year that we think in terms of New Year’s resolutions—promises we make to better ourselves. So why […]

Tis The Season

‘TIS THE SEASON By Michael Cormier Ah, the holidays! ‘Tis the season for giving. Unfortunately, ‘tis also the season for taking. It’s no surprise that theft is rampant during the holidays. For shoplifters the opportunity is never better. The stores are crowded, which means security has its hands full. And there are tons of inventory […]

CYBERCRIME IN THE WORKPLACE

By Michael Cormier Cybercrime is a growing problem. That’s not exactly news. Incidents of cybercrime have grown almost exponentially ever since the internet came into vogue as a means of information exchanges between relative strangers. What’s most important to note, however, is just how widespread the problem has become. Credit card fraud, viruses, hackers, blackmail, […]

THE “HIDDEN” BENEFITS OF BACKGROUND CHECKS REVEALED

By Michael Cormier If you’ve worked in HR long enough, you know how expensive it is to find and retain employees. Advertising expenses, recruiter fees, sign-on bonuses, training, travel, moving expense reimbursement—it can really add up. And that’s just to get them onboard. There’s also the learning curve, during which a new hire has yet to carry […]

Rejecting With Confidence, Part II: Some Practical Considerations—and the Laws That Force Them

By Michael Cormier What information is used [by hiring personnel], and how it is weighed in the final decision, must be considered. In other words, decision makers have to analyze and evaluate, not just follow the black letter of the law.    In my last post, the above comment was meant as a caveat to […]

REJECTING WITH CONFIDENCE: A LEGAL PRIMER

By Michael Cormier How you investigate, what you investigate, when to do certain things—all of these are dictated these days by law, at least in part. Common sense only goes so far. These days, you need to know how to go about things as much as anything else. In my last post I talked about […]

YOU GOT THE 411, NOW WHAT?

By Michael Cormier In the world of HR, nothing’s as easy as it seems. Especially nowadays, where government regulations dictate much of what can and cannot be done. And it’s getting harder, particularly when it comes to hiring decisions. Without the services of an expert in the field of background checks, like The Hire Authority […]

THE COST OF FAILED HIRING: What a Bad Hire Can Do to Your Bottom Line

By Michael Cormier From time to time, I’ve mentioned the costs associated with bad hiring. Lower office morale, theft of goods and/or services, poor production, even lawsuits are some of those costs. I think we can all agree that a bad hire can have many consequences, ranging from a simple nuisance to a major crisis. […]