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Background Checks

How will upcoming expungement of marijuana-related records affect hiring?

01/11/2019
Q. We’ve heard that soon, Californians who have prior marijuana convictions may have their marijuana-related criminal records expunged. How might this affect our hiring processes?

Business necessity can justify criminal ban

10/29/2018
A number of convict-rights advocacy organizations have sued, alleging that some employers aren’t doing enough to prevent inadvertent discrimination on the basis of criminal histories. Fortunately, employers have a defense against such lawsuits.

Snapshot: Who knows about ban the box?

08/14/2018
Eleven states and dozens of localities make it unlawful to ask about arrests or convictions on job applications.

How to comply with laws regulating criminal background checks

08/06/2018
Employers want safe workplaces. Applicants with criminal records want a chance at gainful employment. Balancing those interests requires paying careful attention to laws that regulate inquiries about applicants’ criminal histories or arrest records.

‘Clean slate’ law helps ex-cons, adds employer responsibilities

08/01/2018
Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf has signed a “clean slate” bill designed to help people convicted of nonviolent crimes obtain gainful employment.

In rare cases, expunged records can be used to exclude a job applicant

07/30/2018
Generally, California employers cannot use expunged criminal records as the basis for not hiring or for discharging an employee. However, there are some exceptions.

Required security clearance doesn’t violate CHRIA

07/10/2018
The Pennsylvania Criminal History Records Information Act restricts how employers may use criminal records in hiring. That doesn’t mean employers cannot require a security clearance from an outside agency.

What pre-hire checks do employers run?

06/05/2018
Criminal background checks are the most common kind of pre-hire screening.

Software could streamline criminal checks

04/26/2018
A San Francisco-based software company called Checkr has obtained $100 million in startup funds for software that lets employers quickly run criminal background checks on job applicants.

Complying with ‘ban the box’ turns out to be pretty easy

03/27/2018
A new study by the WorldatWork HR association found that 44% of employers that have banned asking candidates about their salary history report that doing so has been very or extremely simple.