The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed an appropriations bill (H.R. 5326) that provides funding for several agencies including the allocation of $367 million the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) but also includes amendments that would block implementation and enforcement of several programs including the new EEOC guidance on the ‘Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’ for employers using criminal background checks. The full text of H.R. 5326 is available at: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr5326/text. (more…)

Hiring safe employees is not as simple as some employers may think, and the topic of “safe hiring” will be discussed by two guests on this week’s episode of the Internet talk radio program ‘The Proactive Employer.’ Attorney Les Rosen, Founder and CEO of background check firm Employment Screening Resources (ESR), and Joel Passen, Co-Founder of Newton Smart Applicant Tracking Software, will join host Stephanie R. Thomas, Ph.D. to talk about the elements of a safe hiring plan, common questions and concerns employers have about hiring, and how to implement a Safe Hiring Program (SHP). The hour long show will air live on Thursday, May 17th at 3 PM Eastern / 12 PM Pacific on the VoiceAmerica™ Business Channel and on The Proactive Employer website. (more…)

Attorney Lester Rosen, founder and CEO of background check firm Employment Screening Resources (ESR), has submitted a letter of public comment to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency that enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, regarding the April 25, 2012 meeting where the EEOC voted 4-1 to approve updated Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The letter is available at: http://www.esrcheck.com/Les-Rosen-Public-Comment-on-EEOC-Criminal-Guidance.php. (more…)

Recent news reports about how an employee of Wells Fargo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was fired after a background check uncovered two 40-year-old shoplifting arrests from 1972 when she was 18 do not tell the entire story, according to one safe hiring expert, since there are two avenues that allow applicants and employees with minor offenses to work at banks. A Wells Fargo spokesman said the 58-year-old woman, who worked in customer service in the Home Mortgage department for five years and received numerous recognition awards, was terminated because Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) law prohibits the bank “from hiring or continuing the employment of any person who we know has a criminal record involving dishonesty or breach of trust.” (more…)

Attorney at Law and safe hiring expert Lester Rosen, founder and CEO of San Francisco, CA area-based background check firm Employment Screening Resources (ESR), will present a session titled ‘Negligent Hiring and Background Checks – Best Practices and Legal Compliance’ on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 from 2:15 PM to 3:45 PM for the California Association for Health Services at Home (CAHSAH) 2012 Annual Conference at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, CA. For more information about the CAHSAH 2012 Annual Conference, visit http://cahsah.org/index.php?p=annual_conferences. (more…)