Changing the company’s business direction and working leaner will be the top two employment trends affecting U.S. companies in 2011, according to a CareerBuilder survey conducted late last year. This week’s Feature from CCH HRAnswersNow examines the rest of the top ten key trends in business, hiring, work culture, and job search to watch in 2011.

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Have you ever wished you could automatically track on-the-road employees to see if they were actually working their routes? Some employers are beginning to explore the possibilities of installing Global Positioning Systems in company vehicles to monitor employees, and have seen some positives in terms of increased productivity, service delivery and sales calls. However, the downside could be employees who feel that their privacy has been violated. This week’s Feature from CCH HRAnswersNow explores the pros and potential cons of using a GPS as a supervisory tool.

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Employers should take employee concerns regarding data privacy and security seriously not only to protect information, but also because subsequent adverse action against employees complaining about security breaches could provide the basis for a whistleblowing/retaliation claim, says a national law fir Read more

As employers expand on using social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace for background checks, consultant Lester Rosen says that the law is still evolving regarding discriminatory information, privacy interests, and other issues. Read more

A divided Third Circuit holds that a union which tracked down employees during an organizing campaign by taking down car license numbers in the employee parking lot and using the numbers to search for vehicle ownership and home addresses (“tagging”) violated the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994. Read more

All businesses in Hawaii must limit the mailing or transmission over the Internet of social security number information, including the use of the full number on printed material, as of July 1. See Act 137 (SB2293) for more information on the limitations and exceptions.

Although an employee had a legitimate expectation of privacy in his workplace office, his employer retained the ability to consent to a government search of his office and work computer, the Ninth Circuit rules. Read more

The Dept. of Defense, General Services Administration, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration propose amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require contractors to complete training that addresses the protection of privacy, in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, and the handling and safeguarding of personally identifiable information. Read more

A California court declares that e-mails sent by a worker to her attorney regarding possible legal action against her employer did not constitute “confidential communication between client and lawyer” because she used the company’s computer to send the e-mails. Read more