Keeping our clients updated about changing employment laws is at the top of our priority list. This article, originally posted by The Center Square, is an informative piece about the upcoming change in the use of criminal searches in hiring in Maine.
Employers in Maine will be prohibited from asking prospective job candidates about their previous criminal histories under a new law signed by Gov. Janet Mills.
The new law will ban companies from screening people with criminal backgrounds before those applicants have an opportunity to go through the preliminary hiring process.
Read More
Topics:
Employment screening policy,
background checks,
Ban the Box,
Employer use of criminal records,
employment laws
This article was originally published by The National Law Review and can be accessed here.
Illinois employers have been prohibited from using arrest records as the basis for employment decisions under Section 103 of the Illinois Human Rights Actfor a long time. On March 23, 2021, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill (SB) 1480 into law, which added a new Section 103.1 to the IHRA that severely restricts the ability of employers to rely on conviction records in making employment decisions.
Section 103.1 is effective immediately, and prohibits use of a conviction record as the basis for an employment decision unless:
Read More
Topics:
criminal records search,
Employer use of criminal records,
employment laws,
illinois
Employers may spend weeks, or even months, recruiting, scouring resumes, and interviewing. Hiring managers might believe they found the perfect candidate, only to find unacceptable information during the background screening process.
Read More
Topics:
adverse action procedures,
background checks,
background screening practices,
Employer use of criminal records,
background check services
Needle in a haystack?
Hiring quality employees can be challenging to any organization. However, high-performing A-players are essential components in building a well-oiled, successful company that can serve clients and maintain a competitive edge. Unfortunately, even candidates who look promising on paper and ace the interview might still be the wrong choice.
Read More
Topics:
background screen,
background check,
background screening practices,
Employer use of criminal records,
background check services,
hiring process,
employment laws,
PBSA
Most of today’s companies utilize some sort of background screening process before making a hiring decision. Criminal searches, driving record searches, reference checks, employment and education verifications, assessment testing, credit checks, and drug screening all fall under the “background screening” umbrella.
Read More
Topics:
Litigation avoidance,
background screening practices,
Ban the Box,
Employer use of criminal records
This article was written by Ryan P. Lessmann and first appeared on the National Law Review website.
In an effort to prevent persons with criminal records from being automatically ruled out for job vacancies, Colorado Governor Jared Polis has signed “ban the box” legislation. The new law will go into effect in September 2019 for employers with at least 11 employees, and employers with fewer than 11 employees have until September 2021 to comply.
This makes Colorado the 13th state to enact “ban the box” legislation for private employers.
Read More
Topics:
Colorado,
Background screening,
Hiring,
Ban the Box,
Employer use of criminal records
Effective June 6, 2018, Washington will be the next state to implement “ban the box” legislation, which restricts employers from executing a criminal background check on the job applicant during the initial stages of the application process.
Read More
Topics:
Background screening,
background checks,
Ban the Box,
Employer use of criminal records,
background check services
This information was originally posted on SHRM.org by Jennifer Mora
When it comes to legislation restricting employer use of criminal records, California seems to be leading the charge.
In the last six months alone, we have reported on a variety of new laws that apply to a California employer that uses criminal records as a background check in pre-hire and other employment decisions.
Read More
Topics:
Background screening,
background check,
Ban the Box,
Employer use of criminal records
