Employment Screening: A look back at 2014

INDUSTRY TRENDS The ban-the-box movement continued to gain traction in more cities and states, and 2014 saw Washington D.C., New Jersey and Delaware pass their own versions of state-wide ban-the-box laws. Now, more than 30 states have some type of laws to protect those with criminal backgrounds and help them to find employment without being discriminated against, whether at the local or state level. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission took plenty of businesses to court for alleged discrimination against employees, but faced fire itself when it refused to disclose how it conducts background checks during its own hiring process. Because of its lack of transparency, this brings up questions of hypocrisy within the government organization. The government did one right when it fired USIS, one of its previous background screening companies, which provided background checks for about 40 percent of all government employees and contractors. The Justice Department is also suing USIS for “dumping” up to 15,000 background checks per employee per month. MYB NEWS Mind Your Business attended several conferences this year, including the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) annual conference, the Asheville business development seminar (hosted by the North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center), the NAPBS Legislative and Regulatory Conference, and the Mardi Gras Ball. MYB CEO Karen Caruso also had the pleasure of attending the Women in Public Policy Annual Leadership Meeting, in which legislation to level the playing field for woman-owned small businesses in government contracting was discussed. Caruso was accepted into — and recently completed — Goldman Sachs’ “10,000 Small Businesses” program, which helps small business owners grow their businesses through business clinics, networking support and practical education. MYB was also awarded an Incumbent Workforce Development Program grant to help improve the education and training of employees, as well as a General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule for future government contracts. We have enjoyed great successes as a business this year, and we wish you success in your business endeavors this year as well. We look forward to all that 2015 has to offer!]]>