Background Checks

How do California’s new immigration laws affect documenting eligibility to work?

12/24/2013

Q. I have heard that the state’s new immigration laws restrict how we handle documenting an applicant’s right to work. Can you tell me more?

Minnesota bans the box: What it means for employers

12/23/2013

Minnesota is joining a number of other states in prohibiting employers from asking job applicants about their criminal records prior to a job interview. Here’s what you need to know about Minnesota’s new “ban the box” law.

Nurses union responds to Star Tribune story

12/23/2013

The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently ran an investigative report showing how easily Minnesota nurses can evade background check requirements and how few face discipline for serious misconduct. Now the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) has come out in favor of tougher standards.

Texas sues EEOC over background check guidelines

12/02/2013

The state of Texas filed a federal suit against the EEOC, disputing guidance that discourages employers from instituting total bans on hiring convicted felons.

Employee lied about criminal convictions on application? That’s a firing offense

11/26/2013

You may have heard that the EEOC is cracking down on employers that use criminal records in hiring. But that doesn’t mean you can’t ask in the hiring process.

Target ‘bans the box’ asking about criminal backgrounds

11/19/2013

Minneapolis-based retail giant Target has agreed to remove any questions concerning job applicants’ criminal background from its applications nationwide.

Dallas firm beats EEOC in background check case

08/26/2013

Dallas-based trade show and convention management firm Freeman has beaten back an EEOC lawsuit that challenged the firm’s use of criminal background checks in hiring. The EEOC sued in 2009, claiming Freeman’s criminal background checks had a disparate impact on blacks, Hispanics and men.

New Texas law limits employer hiring liability

08/26/2013

In an attempt to encourage employers to hire workers with criminal backgrounds, the Texas Legislature passed H.B. 1188 limiting employer exposure to negligent hiring lawsuits.

J.B. Hunt drops ban on hiring those with criminal records

08/07/2013

Transportation giant J.B. Hunt has agreed to revise its hiring policy that the EEOC claimed prohibited hiring anyone with a criminal record. The case began with a single black applicant who was denied a truck driving position because he had been convicted of a crime.

Texas’ new hiring law should help employers and convicts