background checks
This critical new bill to protect children in Colorado has just been rejected
The first state bill to require youth sports organization employees and volunteers to undergo background checks has failed. Colorado’s Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 to kill the bill after it was determined that the proposed checks would not do enough to prevent sexual abuse in youth sports. Extracurricular sports clubs — that is, those that…
Read MoreShould firefighters require background checks?
They spend time in and around residential areas and businesses during times of emergencies, and assist people at their most vulnerable. They visit schools for fire safety days and interact with children. Even so, it is not mandatory in every state for volunteer firefighters to undergo background checks, even if their full-time counterparts are fully…
Read MoreWill new Pennsylvania background check law take things a step too far?
Starting this month, Pennsylvania schools have some new rules in place to protect children from potential abuse. But some are concerned that the state’s new background check law is inconsistent and leaves school districts to attempt to navigate a tricky situation. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed a law that was a combination of 23 previous…
Read MoreUber ‘safe ride’ fee getting taken to court
Uber introduced a “safe ride fee” of $1 per ride, intended to go toward improving safety for riders and pedestrians through driver background checks and drug screening. Two California residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber regarding that safe-ride fee. This suit is just one more thing in light of continued problems for the…
Read MoreNYC considers ban-the-box legislation more stringent than most for employers
In mid-December, the New York City Council introduced a proposal for the city’s own ban-the-box laws, just months after it introduced a bill that would prevent city employers from using credit checks against job candidates. (That bill is still being debated.) Over the previous years, employers in the state have not been able to refuse…
Read MoreHow to hire reliable seasonal workers
workers are less likely to undergo thorough screening, and are also more likely to steal from their employers. To protect your business this Christmas, make sure you hire quality workers. Contact previous employers. When the applicant fills out his or her job application, request a list of previous jobs as well as the names and…
Read MoreEmployers and social media: avoid these 4 background-screening blunders
When employers are looking to hire, there are many things they must be aware of: avoiding discrimination, following the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and not breaking ban-the-box laws, to name a few. Throw a few Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn accounts into the mix, and suddenly making hiring decisions becomes a lot more treacherous. Be smart…
Read MoreHere’s why schools should exercise caution when hiring all staff, not just teachers
sending a female student inappropriate text messages, and asking her to send him nude photos. Driver Paul King had allegedly been sexting the 16-year-old high school student for a month, and the local sheriff’s office suspects that King was sending texts to other female students as well. “He did state he thought he did try…
Read MoreNew ‘ban the box’ in Columbia, Mo. stops employers performing background checks prior to job offer
According to the National Employment Law Project, most ban-the-box laws allow federal or public employers to conduct background checks on job applicants after initial interviews are conducted, but prevent employers from asking on job applications if a candidate has been convicted of a crime. It is not very common for cities or states to push…
Read MoreNo Bad Santa: Background checks prevent problems for employers, parents alike
Many retail stores are already busting out the holiday music and cheery decór, and retailers and organizations are already going about hiring holiday helpers. While any business would do well to screen its holiday help — after all, businesses are more likely to be robbed by employees than shoplifters — it’s a different story altogether…
Read More