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Background Checks

You can obtain blanket consent for employee credit reports at any time

06/01/2005
Before you seek consumer credit or background reports on applicants, you must obtain their written consent and give them a clearly written disclosure form.
But what about when you investigate …

Tighten your record-disposal policy, starting this month

06/01/2005
Issue: Beginning June 1, a new federal law requires you to properly dispose of personally identifiable background-check data.
Risk: One mistake can result in actual damages, up to a $2,500 …

Use managers to conduct some (Not all) reference checks

06/01/2005
Issue: HR typically handles reference checking at large firms. Smaller firms and those with strong management let managers do it.
Benefit/risk: Farming out reference checks to supervisors will lighten your …

Run background checks, even for top-dog positions

04/01/2005
Buyer beware: If you don’t probe deeply into job candidates’ backgrounds, you’re in the minority these days.
In fact, 80 percent of employers polled in a new Society for Human …

Make privacy a cornerstone of your culture

03/01/2005
Confidentiality can quickly become a legal issue in many workplace decisions and activities.

Request birth date only after conditional job offer

03/01/2005

Q. We don’t ask applicants for their age or birth date on our application. But we plan to start conducting background checks on applicants whom we’re seriously considering. The company that will conduct the checks for us said the birth date is on all the applications they see and that it’s instrumental to conducting the checks. What should we do? —V.T., Wyoming

It IS your business: Protect domestic-violence victims at work

01/01/2005
Issue: Your role and responsibilities when it comes to domestic violence in the workplace.
Risk: Doing nothing risks lives, safety, morale, lawsuits and your bottom line.
Action: Take the …

5 ways to avoid legal risks of converting temps to regular staff

11/01/2004
Issue: More employers are testing job candidates by hiring them as temps first.
Risk: Temps converted to regular staff often fly under the radar of pre-employment checks, plus create other …

Learn from the big dog’s mistake; check applicants’ crime records

10/01/2004
America’s largest employer, Wal-Mart, recently announced that it will begin running criminal background checks on job candidates.
The decision comes on the heels of two incidents in which employees with …

Converting temps to regular staff? Beware legal hazards

09/01/2004
One of the first indicators of an improving job market is a rise in temporary-help jobs. Why? Many organizations, still cautious about taking on full-time employees, test the market first by …