Social media such as Facebook open up many new opportunities for hiring; many companies are reportedly finding that the best recruitment tool is having existing employees tap into their on-line networks.  But easily-available information about job candidates may tell prospective employers too much, exposing them to claims of violations of laws on such matters as racial discrimination.  A recent twist on this issue is offered by the EEOC, which has asked for pubic comments on whether employers should be prohibited from using social networking sites to research job candidates,  since the searches could reveal information protected under the Genetic Information Nondisclosure Act.

Personally, we question how a ban on any access to on-line information could possibly work; there is so much data out there that building a legal wall of prohibition on use is like trying to hold back the ocean.   But the public comments on the issue will be interesting and perhaps will contain some ideas for a workable solution.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports a marked decline in the growth of salaries for the heads of public colleges and universities.  The article is here.

Meanwhile, at the Harvard Business Review, Dan Pallotta observes that adverse public reaction to compensation perceived as high may be tied to the nature of the nonprofit, and that executives for nonprofits perceived as doing charitable work may be more vulnerable to criticisim than more highly-paid executives in the arts or high-end college sports coaching.  The post is here.

Although the deadline for complying with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code was December 31, 2008, the IRS has provided some avenues for correcting errors in deferred compensation plan documentation.  The most recent is IRS Notice 2010-6, found at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-10-06.pdf.