ESR Assured Compliance Offers Employers Automated Compliance with Employment Screening Laws through Online Paperless AGR System

 Employment Screening Resources (ESR) – a nationwide background screening firm accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) – has announced the development of the “ESR Assured Compliance_SM” process that allows employers to automatically comply with federal and state laws governing employment screening background checks through the company’s online paperless Applicant Generated Report (AGR) system that is constantly updated with required changes in hiring and employment regulations. For more information about “ESR Assured Compliance_SM,” visit https://www.esrcheck.com/ESR-Assured-Compliance.php. 

“We understand that compliance with the laws that govern the screening process can be confusing at best, so ESR Assured Compliance makes it as easy as possible through our fully automated AGR system,” states ESR President Brad Landin. “This system makes complying with new regulations virtually painless in a totally paperless environment by handling all of the required disclosures and acknowledgments for the employer.”

With “ESR Assured Compliance_SM” – only from Employment Screening Resources – the paperless online automated AGR system manages all aspects of federal and state specific notices and disclosures and creates an electronic audit trail of compliance for employers, while also providing applicants with the opportunity to save copies for their records. All federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) required elements such as Notice, Disclosure, and Consent are built into the online process and are updated as requirements change.

In addition, compliance with state screening laws – such as those regarding using credit reports for employment purposes – is built around AGR “alerts” sent to applicants depending on states where applicants live and will be working. If applicants live in or will be working in one of the seven states with laws currently restricting credit report use for employment purposes – California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, and Washington – they receive the notice that a credit report is being obtained along with the state specific permitted purpose for obtaining the employment related credit report.

Other state laws regarding specific notices of rights that go beyond the FCRA are also based on the information about where applicants live and will be working, and appropriate notices and acknowledgments are automatically populated in the form. The subject of the report receives proper notice about and agrees to the use of his or her electronic signature as provided for under E-sign Act and corresponding state laws. In addition to the Electronic Signature, the subject also applies a physical signature to the form by simply using a mouse. The AGR system makes this easy for everyone involved and, most important, this process provides employers with an audit trail of compliance.

ESR’s online AGR system – https://www.esrcheck.com/ESR-AGR-System.php – used in the “ESR Assured Compliance_SM” process offers the following benefits for employers:

• Paperless online data collections of all information necessary for candidate screening.
• Eliminates error prone manual data entry.
• Eliminates paper based applicant release forms.
• Features “mouse driven” signatures.
• Eliminates concerns about collecting dates of birth or Social Security numbers.
• State-of-the-art security, data protection, and redundancy.

“With ESR Assured Compliance, employers will never have to worry whether forms being used in the disclosure and consent process are current and up to date since all required changes happen automatically,” Landin adds. “There is no action required by employers in the compliance process other than associating a state specific permitted purpose when a credit report is ordered. ESR Assured Compliance is continuously updated to support all notices and acknowledgements required by federal and state laws.”

For a brief overview of the “ESR Assured Compliance_SM” process, visit: https://www.esrcheck.com/file/ESR_Assured_Compliance_Process_Overview.pdf. For additional information about ESR’s Applicant Generated Report (AGR) system, visit: https://www.esrcheck.com/ESR-Applicant-Generated-Reports.php. To learn more about background checks, visit the Employment Screening Resources (ESR) website at https://www.esrcheck.com/ or call ESR toll free at 888-999-4474.

About Employment Screening Resources (ESR):
Founded in 1997 in the San Francisco, CA area, Employment Screening Resources (ESR) literally wrote the book on background screening with “The Safe Hiring Manual” by ESR Founder and CEO Lester Rosen. ESR streamlines the screening process and reduces administrative overhead though its proprietary technology solutions.  ESR is accredited by The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®), a distinction held by less than two percent of all screening firms. This important recognition was achieved by successfully passing a third party audit demonstrating compliance with the NAPBS Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program. By choosing an accredited screening firm like ESR, employers know they have selected an agency that meets the highest industry standards. For more information about ESR, visit https://www.esrcheck.com. 

About ESR News:
The Employment Screening Resources (ESR) News blog – ESR News – provides employment screening information for employers, recruiters, and jobseekers on a variety of topics including credit reports, criminal records, data privacy, discrimination, E-Verify, jobs reports, legal updates, negligent hiring, workplace violence, and use of search engines and social network sites for background checks. For more information about ESR News or to send comments or questions, please email ESR News Editor Thomas Ahearn at [email protected].