The short answer is, "Yes."

Read on to learn why an employer needs applicant consent to run a background check and how consent protects both parties.

Employers interested in running background checks on employees and candidates will work with background check companies to provide trusted and verifiable information. Background check companies are also commonly referred to as "consumer reporting agencies" under the federal legislation Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FCRA was enacted to protect consumers from false information on their credit reports and from having that false data used against them. The legislation also protects employers by reaffirming that candidate data is accurate. 

Do you know if your background check company is following FCRA compliance?

When obtaining background screens, is your business working with a legitimate consumer reporting agency?

More employees are worried about workplace retaliation due to the COVID-19 and BLM protests across the country. Some are concerned with losing their jobs in their reluctance to return to an unsafe workplace. Others are worried that speaking out about racism could cause discrimination and workplace bullying. Employers are wise to understand how to protect employees and provide resources if workplace retaliation is suspected. 

With heightened awareness of discrimination due to COVID-19 or the Black Lives Matter protests, employers need to know how to protect employees from workplace retaliation.

Hiring laws and those that pertain to employment background screening are passed fairly regularly. Because it can be challenging for employers to keep up, this blog publishes yearly news as well as weekly updates to help keep readers informed. Staying in compliance with these new laws will help mitigate risk to your business.

Here are important updates to employment and hiring laws expected in 2020.

The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) last week announced that they are rebranding as the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA). Founded in 2003, the organization promotes and establishes ethical business practices and legislative compliance within the background screening industry. 

VeriFirst is proud to be PBSA Accredited!

With the NAPBS name change, we wanted to share what this accreditation represents to background screening companies and employers. 

NAPBS changes their name to PBSA.

VeriFirst works with many Professional Sports Teams and Stadium managers across the United States. A number of our clients have obtained or are in the process of obtaining SAFETY Act Certification for their stadium and facilities. At a high level, they are doing this to mitigate risk, ensure the safety of their fans and facilities, and leverage a number of additional benefits that are associated with being SAFETY Act Certified.

Read more to learn:

• What is the SAFETY Act?
• Who should obtain SAFETY Act designations and certifications?
• Does the SAFETY Act require or recommend employee or personnel background checks?

Over 33 States and 150 cities have been behind the push to "ban the box" and now Congress is considering more widespread legislation.  These laws, also referred to as "fair chance" laws, help to reintegrate ex-offenders successfully into society.  More specifically, the "box" being banned is the question on many employment applications asking, "Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a crime?"

With more bipartisan support of these laws, members of Congress have introduced the "Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019" or the "Fair Chance Act".

Here's how a federal "ban the box" rule would impact your business.

It's vital for HR managers to understand the changes happening in hiring and employment so they can attract and retain the best talent and remain compliant with state and federal laws. 2018 and the few years prior have seen a push for reduced bias, equal pay and more demands from a younger workforce. These changes continue to affect not only how to hire, but how to retain current employees, as well as legislative response with new employment laws.

Here's what employers can expect in hiring trends and employment legislation in 2019.

With the new year, many laws that were passed in the previous year become active. For employers, these new laws may require big changes to employment manuals, hiring documents, or important parts of the hiring process. To help make things easier, we've done some research and compiled a list of new state laws that went into effect on January 1 and others to expect this year. This information may not be completely comprehensive, for instance, not all wage laws are covered, so employers must still be aware of integral legislation in their state or local community. 

Here are the hiring and state employment laws going into effect this year...