FTC - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

NLRB Rules Against Non-Disparagement Clauses

March 31, 2023

Earlier this year, we looked at how the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a ban on noncompete clauses in employer contracts, which restrict the jobs that former staffers can take once they leave a company. Another controversial clause that some businesses place into contracts prevents ex-employees from talking bad about their old jobs if they accept a severance agreement. Labor advocates have long criticized nondisparagement clauses for infringing on the rights of workers, a point that the National Labor Review Continue reading →

Regulation, Hiring, Motivation, FTC, Ethics, Noncompete clauses, Human Resources, Employee turnover, Labor Relations, Severance

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Some Companies Charge Ex-Employees for “Training Repayment”

February 1, 2023

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Onboarding employees can be one of the most expensive items on a company’s balance sheet as firms spend big money hiring and training new staffers. Of course, this costly process has no guarantee of success: people hired yesterday can leave tomorrow as quickly as they arrived. To offset the costs of rapid turnover, some companies are inserting controversial clauses into employment contracts that require staffers to repay training fees if they quit. For example, Kate Fredericks signed such an agreement Continue reading →

Onboarding, Human Resources, Employee turnover, Labor Relations, Regulation, Ethics, FTC, Training

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

FTC Proposes Ban on Noncompete Clauses

January 18, 2023

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

For years, many major companies have depended on noncompete clauses to hang on to their most talented employees. These binding agreements prohibit individuals from taking jobs at similar firms or from striking out on their own for a specified period of time. Companies claim that they insert noncompete clauses into employee contracts in order to ensure the safety of trade secrets and other confidential data like consumer lists or contact information. According to a recent proposal from the Federal Trade Continue reading →

Regulation, Motivation, Hiring, Ethics, FTC, Human Resources, Noncompete clauses, Labor Relations, Employee turnover

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

Equifax Fined up to $700 Million for 2017 Data Breach

August 2, 2019

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

About two years ago, hackers breached the credit reporting agency Equifax and stole personal information from nearly 150 million people. Along with names and birthdates, the hackers also obtained social security and driver’s license numbers. As consumers responded in anger and disbelief that Equifax could be so negligent, government regulators immediately started investigating the agency. Last week the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the results of that inquiry: Equifax agreed to pay a minimum settlement of $575 million that could Continue reading →

Security, Cyberattack, Equifax, Credit, FTC, Ethics, Regulation

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

FTC Hits Facebook with $5 Billion Fine

July 23, 2019

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

In March 2018, the New York Times revealed that Facebook had allowed Cambridge Analytica to gather personal information from more than 50 million users without their knowledge. Soon after the newspaper published its findings, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began its own investigation of the social media giant. After about a year of inquiry, last week the government agency imposed a $5 billion fine on Facebook, the largest penalty ever issued by the FTC.

It is also the same amount Continue reading →

Legal, Ethics, CEO, Social Media, Cambridge Analytica, FTC, Regulation, Data Mining, Facebook

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media