EEOC: Be careful when conducting criminal background checks

Companies that ask job applicants if they’ve been convicted of a felony or check criminal histories expose themselves to potential discrimination lawsuits: “I would suggest to (businesses) that they think…about why they think they need to do a criminal background check,” said John Hendrickson, the regional attorney for the EEOC’s Chicago district. The EEOC in April issued enforcement guidance on the matter that is expected to hold significant sway in court. The commission stated that people cannot be denied employment based solely on criminal histories but stops short of banning the use of criminal background checks. Ultimately, they are not telling companies to forgo criminal background checks entirely, but instead pressuring business owners to do it right. There are simply too many loopholes and potential pitfalls for businesses to take the risk of implementing a criminal background screening process alone . What’s the best way of ensuring you don’t misstep? Hire a pre-employment screening company.  How to get it right A pre-employment screening service really ought to be your first stop when considering implementing criminal background checks. A service like MYB will be able to help you get it right: we can take you step-by-step through the entire process, identifying what your options are and how you can best protect your business. And remember – it’s important to continue staff testing once job applicants are hired. It’s imperative that you run a pre-employment screening check – but don’t stop at that. Continue to run checks on your staff regularly, as you never know what you might have missed the first time. Ready to get started? Get in touch to learn how we can tailor a background check program to suit your business needs.]]>