Blog Archives

Hiring
SES Seminar on Hiring and Firing in Today’s Economy
Written by admin
Saturday, 30 January 2010 10:19

Earlier this month, I presented a seminar for Sterling Education Services on “Hiring and Firing Employees.”  I tailored the seminar to issues that are most prevalent in today’s current economy.

Hiring and terminations have always been two of the most important aspects of the employment process.  Whereas hiring the right employees can definitely enhance your workforce and increase profitability, hiring the wrong employees can oftentimes lead to disastrous results, such as poor productivity, workplace harassment, and unnecessary lawsuits.  In addition, there are several legal hurdles and pitfalls involved with the hiring process that employers need to avoid, such as inadvertently placing a job advertisement that could lead to a claim for discrimination.

Terminations are perhaps the most emotional and difficult part of the employment process.  Not only are terminations emotionally draining, but any misstep can lead to the former (and disgruntled) employees to file a lawsuit against your company.  The recent film, Up in the Air touched on a few of these issues.   Although the termination process can be emotionally and legally challenging, by knowing how to handle the process, it makes it a lot easier to go through.

With the current state of the economy, employment related lawsuits are on the rise.  As the economy worsens, people get more litigious.  Therefore, I recommend that all employers be very careful in the hiring and firing process, and consult their labor and employment attorneys when necessary.

 
SHRM – “Ask a Lawyer” Seminar
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Tuesday, 15 December 2009 10:59

This morning, I was one of the  speakers at SHRM’s annual “Ask a Lawyer” seminar, which provides attendees with three intimate 20 minute sessions with some of the top labor and employment attorneys in the State of Hawaii.   I was very honored to be included with this esteemed group of attorneys, and my topic dealt with Social Networking and its impact on the workforce.

I spoke about the pros and cons Social Networking can have on the workplace.   During my round table discussions, we discussed some of the benefits Social Networking can provide for a company, such as increased exposure, expanded networks, and virtually free marketing that allows a company to connect to the world through their fingertips.  We also discussed the challenges many employers face when dealing with issues such as (a) whether they can monitor employees’ use of Social Networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace, (b) whether they can do background checks of employees by using Facebook and Myspace, (c) whether they should control or limit their employees’ use of Social Networking sites, at least while at work, and (d) whether their company should develop an employment policy to cover Social Networking.

Overall, the seminar was  huge success.   Although, I wish each session could have been a little longer than 20 minutes; I found there wasn’t enough time to answer all the questions everybody had or to explain everything that needed to be explained.   In any event, if your company has any questions regarding Social Networking in the workplace or you are wondering whether your company can or even should implement a Social Networking policy, I strongly recommend that you contact your labor and employment attorney.

 
Hawaii Unemployment Rises to 7.1%
Written by admin
Friday, 17 April 2009 19:00

According to statistics compiled by the Honolulu Advertiser, Hawaii’s unemployment rose to 7.1% in March 2009. The Honolulu Advertiser also reported that Hawaii’s unemployment rate is still below the national average of 8.5%. The prior month, the Honolulu Advertiser reported that Hawaii’s unemployment rate had risen to 6.5%, which is the highest it had been in 30 years.

What does this mean for Hawaii employers? Depending on your perspective, hiring could become either (a) easier or (b) harder, during this downturn. Here is an interesting article I read on the topic.