Tag: Background checks

FCRA and Background Checks: Common Employer Questions and Best Practices

When considering a job applicant, you’ll likely want to investigate the person’s work history, education, criminal record, financial past, and medical information. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates such background checks (or “consumer reports”) through the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a lengthy, complex set of laws that can be quite daunting to employers. Here […]

COVID-19

How COVID-19 Court Closures Impact Your Background Checks

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted office closures and work-from-home mandates everywhere, including in government offices and county courthouses. When the courts are closed or operating on limited schedules, parole hearings and divorce proceedings are not the only activities impacted. Court closures can also throw a wrench in your hiring process.

background

Ban the Box Laws and Second Chance Programs that Help Ex-Offenders Find Work Are Spreading Fast

Ban the box laws and Second Chance programs that help ex-offenders in the United States are spreading fast across the country. The National Employment Law Project (NELP) estimates that approximately 70 million people in America—or nearly one in three U.S. adults—have some type of criminal record that may hinder employment opportunities.

ethics

Getting Your Talent Acquisition Team to Hire Ethically

Tina lied about her college degree, Bob lied about his work experience, and yet your hiring manager still gave them an offer anyway. Where do you draw the line on lying during the hiring process? And how do you make sure your entire hiring team has the same set of ethical standards as your company?

criminal record

Whom Are You Hiring? Looking into an Applicant’s Checkered Past

For good reason, you probably spend a significant amount of time worrying about legal compliance for the employees on your payroll. But what about those who didn’t get the job? Some applicants might have simply lacked the necessary credentials, but others may have been weeded out through background checks. Many of you may consider criminal […]

THC Screening Banned in 1 State, 1 City

As more states move to legalize marijuana, both recreational and medical, one state and one major city are taking legalization to the next level: by banning preemployment drug testing for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana.

Factors to Consider with Applicants Who Have Criminal Records

In a previous post, we discussed the recently signed FIRST STEP Act, which reduces sentences for thousands of nonviolent criminals and promises to provide shorter sentences for certain nonviolent crimes going forward. When it comes to a particular individual, the criminal justice system has two primary goals: punishment and rehabilitation.

How the Fair Credit Reporting Act Affects Hiring and Firing

Employers that engage third-party agencies for assistance in conducting background checks on employees or job applicants or gathering information for workplace investigations must strictly adhere to the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s (FCRA) notice and authorization requirements.