A recent story from The Charlotte Observer about an ex-felon hired to work at a cafe who allegedly killed a pregnant cafe manager by fatally stabbing her during a robbery demonstrates the need for small businesses to perform background checks, as well as the risks taken when hiring employees with criminal records or the exposure to legal liability faced when failing to conduct thorough background checks on job applicants. The Charlotte Observer story ‘Killing puts background checks in spotlight’ is available at: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01/28/2965684/killing-puts-background-checks.html. (more…)

In yet another class action alleging that an employer did not comply with the legal requirements of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), a federal court in Maryland refused a motion to dismiss a class action that alleges that Domino’s Pizza failed to comply with the requirements of the FCRA, the federal law the regulates pre-employment background screening.  In a decision filed January 25, 2012, the Court did not rule on the facts, but ruled that the plaintiffs had made a sufficient showing to deny a motion by the employer to dismiss. In addition, the court refused to strike allegations that the conduct was willful, which means that the plaintiff faces statutory damages as well as potential punitive damages.

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With the National Institute on Aging (NIA) estimating that approximately seven million Americans are long-distance caregivers for their aging parents who live an hour or more away, the need for trusted and qualified caregivers in rising fast and is expected to grow over the next four decades as the segment of the U.S. population between 20 and 64 – the age group most often faced with caregiving – shrinks while the share of people 65 and older rapidly expands, this according to the Associated Press (AP) story ‘Millions now manage aging parents’ care from afar’ published in various news outlets. (more…)

A new report “Violence in the Workplace” by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc. (NCCI) shows that while work-related homicides and injuries due to workplace assaults remain well below levels observed in the mid-1990s, homicides committed by “work associates” – a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) category made up of both coworkers and customers – have increased. To view the complete report, visit: https://www.ncci.com/documents/Workplace_Research.pdf. (more…)

Attorney and safe hiring expert Lester Rosen, Founder and CEO of accredited U.S. background check firm Employment Screening Resources (ESR), will speak on “The Challenges of Safe and Smart Hiring” at the Employee & Background Screening Seminar in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on February 2, 2012 from 3:30 PM to 7:00 PM Local Time. For more information and to register for the seminar, visit http://cv-ok.nl/inschrijven. (more…)