Employee Issues & Business Continuity

Employees may be your greatest asset, but they could also be your downfall if you aren't careful. Issues such as sexual harassment, discrimination, breach of privacy and others can put your business at risk if you end up in court on the wrong end of a lawsuit. This week's articles give you some information about issues that could help you prevent problems with employees.

There are a number of laws you need to know about to avoid legal issues with employees.
(Item #1)   Background screening too expensive? You have no idea the cost of not background screening. (Item #2)   Do any of these problem employees sound familiar to you? (Item #3)  

Here are some examples of employee relations issues. (Item #4)   Employees and other insiders can wreak havoc with your digital assets. (Item #5)   Make sure you're familiar with these privacy laws so you won't run afoul of the law. (Item #6)  

As always, we look forward to hearing your comments & insights regarding business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, email me at [email protected].

Bob Mellinger, President
Attainium Corp

1. Employer-Employee Issues: Eight Danger Areas

Many laws apply to all employees, and employers are required to comply with the laws and to keep accurate records. In addition, particular employees may be in one or more of the myriad groups of people who are protected against discrimination under federal and/or some state laws. The protected classifications may include age, race, creed, religion, color, disability, marital status, gender, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, having an arrest or conviction record, engaging in protected concerted activity or whistle-blowing, citizenship, taking family/medical leave, the use or non-use of legal substances, and the results of lie-detection or genetic testing.
http://www.americanbar.org/newsletter/publications/
gp_solo_magazine_home/gp_solo_magazine_index/employeremployeeissues.html

2. Effective Pre-Employment Background Screening

In today's competitive economic environment, firms cannot afford to be side-tracked by employee problems such as workplace violence, theft, false resumes, embezzlement, harassment or trumped-up injury claims. Employers have increasingly turned to pre-employment screening as a critical risk-management tool to try to avid hiring problem employees in the first place.
http://www.esrcheck.com/articles/Effective-Pre-Employment-Background-Screening.php

3. Five Problem Employees and What You Can Do About Them

Problem employees inevitably surface in most workplaces and small companies aren't immune. Sometimes, the problems are obvious, such as attendance issues or a failure to deliver results. Other times, a workplace harbors a problem and you might not immediately know the cause, says attorney Lisa Guerin, co-author of Dealing with Problem Employees.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220132

4. Examples of Employee Relations Issues

Employee relations involve all aspects of an employee's relationship with an employer. Human resources personnel, managers and supervisors maintain this relationship by implementing employee policies that establish rules regarding performance, conduct, conflict of interest and discipline. Managing employee relations issues help employers correct inappropriate behavior, as well as promote a structured and productive workplace.
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-employee-relations-issues-11538.html

5. How to Protect Digital Assets from Malicious Insiders

Malicious insiders, who have legitimate access to an organization's network, pose a serious threat to an organization. Malicious insider behavior, unlike that of external foes, cannot be detected using traditional intrusion detection methods and can have serious consequences. In this brief article, we outline some basic measures that can help early and effective detection and prevention of some insider threats.
http://www.thei3p.org/research/mitremi.html

6. Privacy Issues

You should know the privacy laws that protect your employees. Here is a brief overview of some of the issues that need to be considered in managing employees if you are to avoid problems or possible damage to your organization.
http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/managing-your-business/privacy-issues.html