Archive for April 2015
What types of background checks can employers conduct?
Criminal background checks Criminal background checks are common in employment situations in which the employee will have access to company financial information or will be working with vulnerable populations. Oftentimes, a company will reconsider hiring the person if they are applying for a position related to a previous felony conviction. In order to conduct criminal…
Read MorePennsylvania cracks down on volunteer background checks
Pennsylvania will soon be implementing the volunteer background checking law that MYB discussed in January, but despite no further news about how schools should handle volunteer background checks, some of the confusion has been lifted for other types of volunteers in Pa. communities. It has now been specified which background checks are required for volunteers…
Read More3 ways businesses can benefit from drug testing
see improvements in your company by drug testing, from a former human resources manager and director. Find better workers. When word gets around that your company conducts drug tests, you’re automatically able to screen out potential employees that won’t be able to pass drug tests — because they are less likely to apply for jobs…
Read MoreState marijuana legalization brings up new questions in hiring
is actually legal — it creates a confusing situation. Should an applicant be denied a job in another state because he or she utilizes a drug that is legal in the state in which he or she resides? One problem is that THC — the active ingredient in cannabis — can stay in the body…
Read MoreMarch 2015: unemployment rate steady
According to a news release from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate has not changed since February, continuing to hold steady at 5.5 percent, or 8.6 million unemployed individuals. In March, 126,000 new jobs were added to the workforce, way down from the previous monthly average of 269,000 new jobs…
Read MoreVirginia becomes 15th state to ban the box
After last month’s Senate vote to pass statewide ban-the-box legislation, the Virginia House of Delegates approved the new measure and Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed it into law on April 3. The new law requires state government job applications to remove all questions about an applicant’s criminal history. The law allows for background checks to be…
Read MoreSamples from previous Olympic Games to be re-tested for performance-enhancing drugs
Although it has been seven years since the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the International Olympic Committee has plans to continue screening past competitors and medalists for performance-enhancing drugs. If it finds drugs in the samples that it collected before and during the 2008 Games, the IOC can still strip winners of their medals. The…
Read MoreNew Mexico takes first steps toward decriminalizing medical marijuana
approved measures that take steps to decriminalize marijuana and ensure that licensed medical marijuana providers do not have felony criminal records. State legislators have made clear that, despite these new bills, the state is not yet ready to legalize cannabis. “This is not legalization,” said Senate bill sponsor Sen. Joseph Cervantes. “This is decriminalization of…
Read MoreWhat obligations do businesses have when it comes to avoiding religious discrimination?
The Supreme Court is expected to determine that, likely within the next few months. In the meantime, employers can avoid getting sued for religious discrimination by erring on the side of caution. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission protects applicants or employees from being discriminated against due to religious garb and grooming practices, and employers are…
Read MoreEmployers continue to question how to handle marijuana legality during drug testing
Alaska officially legalized recreational use of marijuana for citizens that are over the age of 21. However, employers in the state — and in fact, across the country in other states in which recreational or medical cannabis is used — find that they are not sure how to handle employee drug tests when the drug…
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