Small businesses: EEOC background check guidance ‘confusing’

During a hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives in mid-June, a conversation about employers conducting criminal background checks on prospective employees led to a discussion about whether or not the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Enforcement Guidance is clear and fair to those who own small businesses. The document spans 58 pages, and can occasionally…

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FIFA drug testing: All tested World Cup players clean

The FIFA World Cup is, quite literally, good clean fun. So far, after drug testing urine and blood samples from 800 of the sport’s players, not a single one has turned up positive. That number includes clean drug tests for 91 percent of the members of the preliminary squads for each team. Those squads comprise…

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Audit: Mo. school district should update required types of background checks

After an internal audit, a Springfield, Mo., school district is considering adding more current types of background checks to its hiring and retention policies, including fingerprinting all long-time employees. According to an internal audit report, fingerprint-based background checks did not become district policy until January 1, 2005, and Springfield Public Schools has not fingerprinted employees that…

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SCOTUS declines to hear Florida drug testing appeal, Scott fights on

The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down an appeal to hear arguments about Florida’s controversial drug-testing policy, which lower courts have declared unconstitutional. In 2011, Gov. Rick Scott signed executive orders that required mandatory drug testing for all state employees, and those receiving welfare benefits. Since the orders were given, state and federal judges have…

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May 2014: unemployment rate steady at 6.3 percent

Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly news release, the unemployment rate held steady at 6.3 percent in May, consistent with April 2014’s rate. The report also indicated an increase of 217,000 jobs total across several major non-farming industries. Professional services, which includes computer systems, management and temporary services, added 55,000 jobs last month. Over the past 12…

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Cities, states consider minimum wage hikes

Several cities and states around the U.S. are considering legislation that would increase city- and state-wide minimum wages by as little as $1 per hour to upwards of $5 per hour. Federal minimum wage is currently set at $7.25 per hour, a number that has not changed since July 2009. California and Illinois are two…

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Employers and social media: Tennessee law prevents password exchange

Job applicants have long been concerned with how potential employers and social media posts may intersect. Many worry that things they posted years ago might be used against them during the job search, especially if an employer requests access to social media accounts. However, Tennessee has passed a new law that limits what an employer…

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NAPBS: survey finds young adults don’t check annual credit reports

National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), the association cited a survey conducted by the Consumer Federation of America and VantageScore Solutions that shows that millenials — those between the ages of 18 and 34 years of age — do not regularly check their own credit scores, and do not know as much about credit…

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Why you should hire a screening service for pre employment background screening

A lawsuit was filed back in July 2013 against Swift Transportation of Arizona for improper pre employment background screening practices. The class-action suit was filed by several truck drivers, including James Ellis III, who complained that Swift Transportation violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by failing to disclose that credit checks and criminal record checks…

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