Attorney Lester Rosen, author of ‘The Safe Hiring Manual’ and Founder and CEO of Employment Screening Resources® (ESR), will present two sessions about background checks at the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) 2013 Annual Conference & Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Rosen will present ‘International Background Checks: Global Due Diligence and Legal Compliance’ on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 and ‘The Top Ten Trends for Background Checks in 2013 – What Every Employer Needs to Know’ on Wednesday, June 19, 2013. For more information about the SHRM 2013 Annual Conference & Exposition, which runs from June 16 to 19, 2013, visit http://annual.shrm.org/. (more…)

Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota has signed into law Senate File 523 (SF 523) that will eliminate the checkmark box asking about criminal history on most job applications and limit private sector employers in the state from asking about criminal records of job applicants until an interview or a conditional job offer. The new law extends the “Ban the Box” provision that currently exists in public employment to private employers. For more information about SF 523 – which will take effect on January 1, 2014 – visit https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=SF0523&ssn=0&y=2013. (more…)

A new California privacy case underscores the need for employers to respect the privacy of job applicants and maintain confidentially, regardless of whether information is shared in written form or in conversation. Although the case did not involve background checks, it concerned discussion of an employee’s personal medical condition with co-workers. The case is Ignat vs. YUM! Brands, Inc. filed March 18, 2013 for the California Fourth Appellate District. (more…)

Attorney and safe hiring expert Lester Rosen, Founder and CEO of Employment Screening Resources® (ESR), will discuss background checks during two sessions at the 2013 Gulf Coast Symposium on Human Resource Issues on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at the Reliant Center in Houston, Texas. Rosen’s first session will focus on international background checks while his second session will reveal the top background check trends for 2013. For more information about the 2013 Gulf Coast Symposium on Human Resource Issues, visit http://www.hrhouston.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=235. (more…)

The idea that there exists one single “national database” for background checks with accurate and complete criminal record information for every person in America is a “popular myth” fueled by movies and television crime programs, according to a blog written by a member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) Board of Directors. The blog is available at http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/judicial/291939-national-database-for-background-checks-is-a-myth. (more…)