Just because it’s almost assumed that job seekers fudge their résumés doesn’t mean you have to fall victim to it. Hiring managers can and should uncover little white lies and big fat fibs on a resume. From misleading the employer about where a college degree was earned, to inventing positions at companies that don’t exist, experienced human resources pros have seen it all.

Various studies show that more than 50% of job applicants submit false information to potential employers. And this includes everyone from Fortune 500 CEOs to college football coaches. A 2004 survey of human resources professionals reported that over 61% of them had uncovered falsifications or inaccuracies in resumes “often” or “sometimes” after carrying out pre-employment background checks.

With a more competitive job market than we’ve seen in a very long time, business owners and hiring managers are sure to see an increase in desperate job hunters hoping you’ll believe what they claim for education and experience—or at least that you won’t take the time to verify it.

Here are 5 Ways to Uncover Résumé Fraud:

1. Conduct a thorough employee background check: You can receive reports verifying an applicant’s name, social security number, sex offender status, criminal and civil court records, address history, credit report and more.
2. Verify employment and personal references: Job seekers sometimes get away with phony references—because employers don’t take the time to actually check them. If a phone number and reference name provided by an applicant don’t match, that could be a red flag. It could also be a simple mistake, so be sure to follow up with the candidate. Make sure you double-check employment dates with previous employers to determine whether the applicant stretched them to cover gaps in experience.
3. Do some social network sleuthing: a simple check of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter could reveal more about a job candidate than they want you to know. Or, it could provide you with the good feeling that they are who they say they are.
4. Ask questions: Require job applicants to explain gaps in employment history. Ask detailed questions about education or work experience. If you know a professor at the school they claim a degree from, drop the name. Ask about their supervisor or team leader. Listen for any signs of nervousness or inability to answer questions immediately and succinctly. Broad, vague answers are another warning sign.
5. Make them nervous: It might sound a bit unkind, but suggesting to a job candidate that you’ll be checking references, including past employers and colleges or universities, might spur a confession by one who has been less than truthful. Those who do not fudge will have no problem with you checking every reference, so try this tactic if you wish to sort out dishonest applicants.

When hiring, you have an obligation to your company, your customers and the rest of your staff to take the time necessary to check out applicants thoroughly. After all, if you hire a liar, trouble could follow.

Many employers have experienced the dramatic exit of a fired or quitting employee. While most don’t compare to the infamous JetBlue flight attendant who slid away on the emergency chute, any company can suffer embarrassment or damage to its reputation or brand when disgruntled employees leave. Especially now, in the age of instant broadcasting via Twitter, Facebook or YouTube, employers can be the brunt of ugly rants or even brutal verbal attacks.

4 Steps to Take When Disgruntled Employees React

1. Act quickly. If an employee is ranting, ask to meet with him or her privately. If they refuse, then have them quickly escorted from the building. If the situation escalates and the individual threatens harm to himself or other workers, call police.
2. Keep credibility intact. While responses are sometimes warranted, retaliation is usually not. Making the wrong move can cause more damage than the temporary hit a company might take when the employee quits or rants upon being fired. Keep cool, respond in a professional way, and do your best to move on.
3. Reassure the rest of the staff. Assure staff that their jobs are not affected. Be open and invite questions. Let remaining employees know that they are welcome to share frustrations in private and that working toward win-win solutions is the goal. .
4. Control the message. Take the power back from the employee. Generally, employee terminations are not to be discussed. Responding with “We do not discuss employee matters” is sufficient. But when the company’s reputation or brand is on the line, it is appropriate to distribute a message via press release or on the company’s website that a regrettable situation has occurred, but business will go on as usual. “We will continue to focus on providing excellent service and fulfilling your electronics needs” is one example of a simple, effective message. Avoid responding to endless comments on blogs or Facebook pages.

Of course, you should continue to thoroughly prescreen employees to avoid similar situations in the future. By conducting criminal background checks, and verifying ID, address and previous employers, you’ll know you’re hiring the most qualified employees and minimizing risk to your company and staff.

How do you know when you can trust an employee? For starters, if you’ve properly screened every applicant, you can be reasonably sure you’ve hired honest people.  Pre-Employment Screening will weed out those with criminal backgrounds, credit problems, or who have misrepresented education or work history.

Trust is an important component of the long-term relationship you want to build with your employees. It’s vitally important that they feel they are trusted, and can trust you back. Here are some tips that can help!

1. Remember that your employees are adults—and treat them accordingly. For example, it’s reasonable to ask for receipts for employee out-of-pocket expenditures—and unreasonable to chastise someone for spending a few dollars more than you think is necessary.

2. Remember that your employees have lives outside work. Respect their need to care for their families, and their desire to leave work on time.

3. Rewrite your company’s policy handbook. Dictating endless rules can cause resentment. Consider eliminating policies that don’t involve safety, established employment laws, abuse of paid leave, and taking care of your customers.

4. Show generosity. Whether it’s with time, money or with words, be as generous as you can with your employees. A small investment of time or money can return a big investment in terms of loyalty and employee retention. And everyone wants to hear that they are appreciated. Let the compliments flow freely!

5. Ask their opinions. Get feedback on processes, ask for their ideas, and encourage them to make suggestions to improve your company. Just the act of asking shows them you’re engaged; but be careful not to ignore every suggestion—or your employees may stop making the effort.

6. Encourage employees to make their own decisions. Empowerment contains the word “power” for good reason. Let your employees feel powerful by giving them the ability to make decisions that serve your customers’ best interests. Chances are when given the opportunity, they will make the right decisions.

7. Be flexible. Consider employees’ needs concerning work schedules, working from home, and requests for time off. See #2.

If you feel nervous about letting go and trusting your employees, you’re probably not hiring the right people. Keep in mind that you can always take action if and when your staff abuses your trust.

Hiring smart and treating your employees like they are valuable assets of your company will go a long way toward building mutual trust—which leads to loyalty and a happier work environment for everyone!

Right now, lots of good, smart people are looking for work. If your business is in hiring mode—and plenty still are, despite the economy—how can you focus your recruiting efforts and find the right people?

Employee recruitment has become more complicated as the usual practices have changed over the past several years. Mass advertising, online or in print, won’t always target your best hire—especially for higher-level professional positions. If the perfect employee never sees your ad, how can you hire them? And a better question is, where are they and how can let them know you’re hiring?

That’s where social networking comes in to boost your recruiting efforts.

LinkedIn is probably the largest online social network for business. You could think of it as a replacement for your Rolodex—only it contains 42 million names across the entire globe!  Once you join and complete your profile, you can easily search for people you know. LinkedIn does just what its name implies—it links business people, whether they work in the same building or worked together twenty years ago.

But LinkedIn goes much farther in building community. It links you to all the contacts held by each of your contacts—so through degrees of separation, you are connected to all those millions of people.  LinkedIn also finds commonalities among its members, who then form groups based on shared industry connections or interests. Whether you’re in manufacturing, medicine, or marketing, you can find thousands of like-minded folks quickly.

Once you’ve established contacts, you can easily put out the word about positions you need to fill. Rather than calling thirty of your Rolodex contacts, LinkedIn can automatically put your message out to thirty thousand of your contacts’ contacts! Plus, you can search by keyword through the entire LinkedIn network to find people with the skills and qualifications you require. So instead of waiting for the perfect employee to come to you, you can find them in seconds—even if they weren’t looking for a job.

But remember that online social networking is much like face-to-face networking. Just as smart people are always looking for their next great position, smart employers are always recruiting their next great hire. That means you have to stay involved, be helpful, keep adding to your contacts, and invite others into your circle.

Social networks can make recruiting employees a breeze!

Before you hire, screen every applicant. Check out our Pre-Employment Screening services. Increase your peace of mind and save training costs by hiring smart.

Can employers hire staff if they are in the middle of layoffs? While there is nothing inherently wrong about it, hiring new employees after (or while) letting other staff go can open the door to big problems. Your ex-employees will surely find out—and will look for any holes in your procedures and the reasons they were let go.

Even though it is risky, there is no reason not to hire new staff in spite of layoffs. Proper planning and care in procedures makes a big difference. Microsoft announced big layoffs this year: a decrease of 5,000 jobs over 18 months. But the net loss in jobs was reported to be only 2,000 to 3,000. Why? Because Microsoft planned on hiring for new, key positions at the same time they were eliminating the old ones.

At Dell, recently laid off employees filed a $500 million class-action lawsuit, claiming that older and female staff were targeted in a round of layoffs that affected 8,900 workers. The employees claim performance evaluations were manipulated and that they were told that no other positions were available when job openings existed. Employers must be clear about reasons for reductions and must ensure that no group is singled out—or even appears to be.

But keep in mind, too, that although it is illegal to target older workers for layoffs, it is within an employer’s rights to base reductions on salary—which often means the older, tenured staff members are more likely to be let go.

For most employers, decisions around hiring and laying off employees are necessary to stay viable—and sometimes must be made at the same time. It doesn’t make sense to ignore areas of your business that are currently strong, and need additional staff, just because you must reduce in other areas. If certain sectors of your business have the potential to become profit centers, you should reinforce them as needed.

A reasonable approach might be to eliminate positions, then re-categorize or modify job descriptions, establish the new positions, and hire for them. And as always, the safest way to ensure you are within the law is to consult an HR attorney before taking any action.

Our previous post covered diversity in the workplace, including being sensitive to employees who display their religious beliefs through clothing or hairstyle. We advised employers to avoid making an issue of any such break of dress code as long as job performance was not affected.

That leads us to today’s topic: are dress codes still being established in businesses? A look around a scattering of companies reveals a variety of policies that are currently in force:

Retail: Most major chains enforce dress codes. Target, Walmart, Macy’s, and Costco all require their employees to either dress in business wear or uniforms. Target’s red top and khaki bottom outfits are familiar to frequent shoppers. Costco’s guidelines forbid facial piercings (even after Costco was sued for the policy on religious grounds). And what would Walmart be without blue vests everywhere?

Smaller, locally-owned establishments are usually a reflection of their clientele and surroundings. Some stores allow employees to wear whatever they want—which can be dangerous! The definition of “too casual” depends largely on your industry and where you’re located. West coasters tend to be more casual, and we’ve seen plenty of t-shirts, jeans, and flip-flops worn by sales clerks. If that’s a normal look in your area, your customers probably won’t think it’s a big deal—especially if they’re dressed the same way. In bigger cities and on the east coast, people tend to dress up more, and retail clerks’ dress reflects it.

Restaurants: Most restaurants have established dress codes, at the very least for health and safety reasons. Customers don’t usually care for a guy in a tank top taking their dinner order (as happened to a friend of ours recently!). Upscale restaurants see dressed-up diners who expect professional appearances for host and wait staff.

Health Workers: Scrubs are the norm in all areas of health care, from walk-in clinics to emergency rooms. Nurses, doctors, and dental assistants are usually decked out in scrubs for their entire work day—even television’s Dr. Oz wears scrubs for every appearance on Oprah’s show.

Professionals: Most law offices and finance-related businesses still require corporate dress for all staff, from CEO to reception. You don’t expect to see a board room full of people dressed in sweat pants and tennis shoes. Nor would most folks feel comfortable if their lawyer represented them in court while wearing a t-shirt and shorts! Suits, dress shirts and ties, skirts, and hose are still considered proper attire in the legal and financial fields.

Dress codes can encourage professional conduct and increase productivity for your employees. But beware: if you do not currently have a dress code in your company, your employees may resist it—so be sure to communicate your reasons clearly, and to enforce it consistently. When deciding what the dress code will entail, ask the following questions to avoid legal trouble:

• Is the policy fair for employees of both genders and all ages?
• Does it infringe on any employee’s religious beliefs?
• Does it infringe on a cultural aspect of a specific race?
• Would a disability prevent an employee from complying?
• Can employees fulfill their job duties when complying?

Chances are your company has become more diverse over the years, based on the changing demographics of the US population. Being sensitive to cultural differences between you and your employees is not only important, but it could keep you out of legal trouble, as well. 

With charges of religious discrimination in the workplace on the rise, here are some general guidelines you might consider. These examples are based on recent courtroom cases, and should not be construed as legal advice.

Be careful about dress and personal appearance codes. In the District of Columbia, a federal court ruled that firefighters cannot be forced to be clean shaven. The case began around concerns that respirators won’t fit the bearded firefighters properly. Those who wear beards for religious reasons were ruled to be exempt from the policy. 

Consider your company’s dress code, and how it applies to workers who wear head coverings or other religious dress. Courts would unlikely to find favor with an employer shown to be discriminating against employees for facial hair or religious dress. If an employee’s appearance does not affect their work, it’s best to leave the issue alone.

Be aware of what makes for a hostile work environment, and require your employees to be respectful to all co-workers. One worker sued her company after management ignored her requests for fair treatment. Her co-workers had repeatedly yelled at her when they could not understand her English. The court ruled against the employer on grounds of a hostile workplace after it found she demonstrated enough knowledge of English to do her job and ruled the co-workers were harassing the complainant.

Be flexible about days off. Don’t assume that all your employees share your faith or that everyone celebrates the same holidays. Respect your workers who request days off for religious holidays—even if you are unfamiliar with them. Communicate with all of your employees to create solutions that will work for both the business and the staff. Swapping days off or instituting floating holidays for everyone are two possibilities to consider.

Speaking of holidays, how does an employer celebrate holidays without offending employees? Whether your staff celebrates Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ramadan—or nothing at all—must be taken into consideration. You will add to your employees’ job satisfaction and loyalty when you demonstrate your respect of their religious beliefs. 

At holiday time, instead of giving Christmas cards or bonuses, avoid singling out one religion by renaming  them “year end bonuses.” Instead of decorating a Christmas tree, honor diverse customs by allowing employees to bring in personal holiday mementoes, or to decorate a space together. Those individuals who do not wish to participate should never be forced to or treated any differently.  

If you’re an employer, read up on cultural diversity, or take a class if offered in your local community college. All companies can provide education to help managers learn about and model sensitivity to their workers’ religious beliefs and cultural differences. Remember, it is up to the employer to ensure that all employees are respectful of their co-workers, and to stop any harassing or insensitive actions when they occur. 

Even Google, a company famous for its happy work environment and revolutionary business model, has trouble keeping good employees. If it wasn’t the fun, start-up atmosphere and valuable stock options that kept everybody motivated, the unusual perks did. Who wouldn’t love to work where you receive free bus service, free gourmet meals in the company cafeteria, on-site gym and dry cleaners, and a pets-allowed policy?

But lately, high-level and midrange employees have been jumping Google’s ship for newer start-ups like Facebook and Twitter. And Google is not taking it lying down. They have been crunching the numbers and developing formulas that can predict which of its 20,000 employees are thinking of moving on. Google is looking at employee reviews, promotion history, and pay scales, among other factors, and says the new algorithm has identified employees who feel underused—a big reason for employee dissatisfaction.

It’s nice to have the big data-crunching companies out there spotting trends that can help businesses run things better.  So, what can employers can learn from Google’s example? 

Keep Employees Engaged
Many companies concentrate on the customer—and that’s a good thing. But too much attention to one side of the equation can lead to disaster on the other. Employees want to know that they are just as important to a company as the customers, the financial statements, and the economy. They care about their contributions, and if they feel underused, productivity could be affected fast.

Ask employees—often—about how they feel about their position and its importance to the company. You may discover that you and your staff have very different views on the subject.  It’s up to the employer or manager to come up with ways to keep employees challenged and engaged, and to re-evaluate these efforts on a regular basis.

Reward and Appreciate
It’s so easy to overlook this aspect of managing employees—especially in a difficult economy. Many employers feel that they’ve done enough by providing jobs and that alone should be enough appreciation. And to some employers, reward comes in the form of a regular paycheck.  Fair enough! But if reward and appreciations is proven advantageous to the company’s bottom line, it might be enough to convince even the most resistant employer to make the attempt.

Certainly the cost of hiring employees affects a company’s profit. Advertising, recruiting, interviewing, and training are time and money drains on any business. Avoiding that expense by keeping good employees is simply a smart business decision.

One example is Nugget Markets, a small regional grocery chain in California. With a 12% turnover rate, they are well below the industry’s average of 20%. Their culture includes providing employees with free food, dance parties, field trips and bonuses helps to keep 900 staff people feeling appreciated. 

For Nugget Markets, efforts that let their team know they’re valuable has helped keep turnover at a level their competition can’t touch.

Learning from the big guys is something employers of every size can do. Try keeping employees engaged and challenged, and make them feel appreciated. Remember that what’s good for your staff is good for your company’s bottom line, too. 

Telecommuting is Increasing

By necessity, employers are becoming more and more flexible when it comes to how their employees work. Job sharing, flex time, creative work hours, and telecommuting are a few methods employers use to improve quality of life and even ease the strain of the current economy for their employees. Many employers are finding these alternatives are good for business, too. Telecommuting is on the rise, with one study showing that the number of people working from home at least one day a month doubled from 2000 to 2005.

Increased technology offerings, like high-speed internet, have made telecommuting much easier than in the past. This will only increase the number of telecommuting workers over the coming decade.

Is Working From Home a Good Idea?
If your employees express a desire to work from home, consider the advantages and disadvantages to your business before you make your decision. Will implementing a telecommuting program ultimately increase or reduce the bottom line? How will working from home affect employee productivity?  Will telecommuters take advantage of the situation and cut their output? Analyzing each factor will help you make the best decision regarding telecommuting for your business.

Does Telecommuting Fit Our Business?
There are the obvious “no” answers to this question, such as production-based businesses, food service, or restaurants. If face-to-face interaction is a major function of your business, you need all hands on deck to run it. But if you have a number of employees who are able to perform most or all of their duties without much supervision using only a computer, then your business is a good candidate to consider a work-from-home program.

Does Telecommuting Fit Our Employees?
Not every employee is suited to self-supervision. But workers with proven track records of organization, dependability, and good work habits should be considered for telecommuting. 

What Policies Are Necessary?
Take time to implement procedures that work for your business. Often, one-size-fits-all policies found online prove to be inadequate.

How Are Virtual Employees Managed? It’s important to realize that managing employees from afar presents its own set of challenges. Communicating over email or by telephone removes important visual cues that you use in face-to-face communication. Consider video conferencing or an online resource like Skype that will facilitate communication while keeping that important visual contact. When managing virtual employees, it is also vital that you set clear objectives and expectations, monitor performance, and require accountability. Remember to reward and recognize these employees, and find ways to help them feel included in the company. Don’t let out of sight mean out of mind. Employees need to feel appreciated, even if they only “come to work” once a month!

Are We Supplying the Proper Technology? Providing employees with the best technology possible will not only allow them to perform their jobs, it will make them even more productive. From up-to-date software and high speed internet connectivity to a proper desk chair, giving your employees the equipment they need will go a long way toward increasing loyalty, appreciation and work output. And it could improve their quality of life, too.

Telecommuting, while presenting its own challenges, is a fantastic way to reduce the number of cars on the road and thus, your company’s carbon footprint. And if it improves productivity, your employees’ quality of life and your company’s profitability, it’s a win-win-win situation: good for the environment, good for your employees, and good for your company!