Conducting thorough pre-employment background checks are a critical tool in mitigating new hire risks. There are many types of background checks available to HR professionals that can be conducted in-house or externally by vendors who specialize in employment screenings. HR professional should take a strategic view of onboarding as a process. By doing so, several layers of checks and screenings are implemented to best reduce new hire risks. It is the old adage that the result is more than the sum of its parts.
The new hire selection process starts with the job advertisement or announcement. The announcement needs to be designed to attract specific skills and behaviors while discouraging those without. Posting in the advertisement that the position requires a drug test or criminal background check is a potent deterrent. Those still interested should be directed to a job application that captures information that will form the groundwork for the pre-employment screenings in the next recruitment phase.
The EEOC enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; Age Discrimination Act; Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act; Equal Pay Act; and Title II of the Genetic Information Act. Employers are welcome to use all manner of pre-employment screenings – as long as they comply with EEOC standards. None of these Acts directly prohibit employment discrimination based on credit information, conviction records, previous employment, education, or psychological/behavioral profiles. However, the EEOC has a published a Compliance Manual and provides guidance on a number of pre-employment scenarios, because of the disparate impact facially neutral policies can have on these numerous protected classes.
This is the tightrope that causes many HR professionals to gloss over background checks out of fear of inadvertently triggering an EEOC investigation. What you don’t know, can hurt you. HR has a duty to the company to traverse this tightrope and understand the often gray and contradictory playing field (between state and federal guidelines) in which they conduct pre-employment screenings.
Criminal Background Checks – Treat each criminal record individually in the context of the job sought, work environment and conditions, and risk to the organization. Ask the candidate about the situation. Deliberate omission and lies can be used a basis to disqualify the candidate.
Credit Check – Most commonly used for positions that have are executive level, have financial responsibility, or have access to confidential information such as social security numbers to reduce the risk of theft or embezzlement. Allow candidates the opportunity to explain negative results as some reasons, such as medical bills, are protected.
Physical/Medical Exam – This screening is allowed only after a conditional offer of employment is extended and is used in specific jobs that require a proof of fitness in order to safely perform duties. All candidates in the job category are required to have the same medical examination. The candidate medical history is confidential and must be kept separate from employment records. HR professionals need to keep in mind that the medical examiner does not make the final hiring decision.
Motor Vehicle Record – This is a critical check for positions that are required to operate a company vehicle as part of the job requirement. In some states, DUI convictions are kept with the DMV not the criminal court system. There are vendors that make multi-state verification easier by consolidating searches.
Work & Education History – Past performance is a strong indicator of future performance. The goal of the work history and education background check is to establish that the glowing resume represented to the recruiter is factual and accurate. On education, check with the governing body on the authenticity of the degree. We recommend asking for full transcripts for recent graduates with a short work history.
As a company, it is important for you to understand the new regulations set forth by the EEOC and implement them in your hiring and workplace practices. Additionally, for the good of your employees, it is helpful to analyze benefits survey data, compensation surveys, and salary reports. Having this information at hand allows you to plan a budget, including competitive employee salaries and benefits, which will help you to hire and retain a happy, talented team.
At WageWatch, our expert evaluators provide businesses in a large range of industries with accurate and beneficial benefits survey data, compensation surveys, and salary reports to ensure that payment and benefits plans are on par with those in the industry. For more information on market compensation data, please call WageWatch at 888-330-9243 or contact us online.
ANSWERS TO ADA ISSUES QUIZ!
Day in and day out, we at Pautsch Spognardi & Baiochhi Legal Group get more questions about disability discrimination and accommodation than any other law. Listed below are the questions AND answers!
The Americans with Disabilities Act and state laws providing protections against disability discrimination cover employers with 15 or more employees, and not those with less.
False: Many states have laws protecting individuals with disabilities working or applying for jobs at companies that employ as few as one (1) employee. Illinois and Wisconsin are among these states.
So long as you treat an employee who is an individual with a disability the same as all other employees you will comply with the requirements of ADA.
False: It is true that individuals with a disability are entitled to treatment equal to that which you give non-disabled employees. But, you are also required by ADA to afford these individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations that allow them to perform essential functions of their job.
ADA and state discrimination laws against disability discrimination require equal treatment between employees with disabilities and those employees that do not have disabilities.
True: It is true that this is required. But as noted in the answer to question #2, more is required—reasonable accommodation.
Depressive disorder is a covered disability under ADA.
True and False: It all depends on whether the condition of the employee or applicant is such that it meets the definition of a “qualified individual with a disability” under ADAAA or applicable. In other words, does the physical or mental condition substantially limit the employee or applicant in a major life activity such as walking, seeing, talking, working, etc., or does the employee or applicant have a record of such impairment, or is the employee perceived as having such a condition? This is often a difficult analysis that must be made based on the individualized circumstances of that individual’s condition. So, some cases of cancer will be determined to be a disability, and some will not.
An employee who suffers a compound fracture of their tibia and fully recovers from this injury and receives a full release for work in four months’ time is likely covered by ADA due to this condition.
False: Under the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008, Congress set six months as the minimum time for coverage as a disability protected by the law. Beware, however, of terminating an employee based on this premise and law. It is particularly risky to terminate an employee based on the assumption that the disability won’t last more than six months, when it may.
An employee who suffers an Achilles tear in her left foot and is fully released for a return to work after exactly one year is covered under ADA.
Probably True: Given the length of time involved, see the answer to question 5 above; it is likely that this condition is covered.
An employee whose only physical limitation on her medical release for work is a 15-pound lifting restriction is not covered by ADA.
Probably False: If this release is permanent, then almost certainly the employee is covered because this has been held by many courts and agency’s to be a substantial limitation on the major life activity of lifting.
An employee whose only physical limitation on his medical release for work is a 50-pound lifting restriction is not covered by ADA.
True: Many cases have decided that this sort of condition is not a covered disability because it does not “substantially limit” a major life activity. In other words, the employee is still a pretty good lifter.
Migraine headaches are not a covered disability under ADA.
True and False: For all of the same reasons noted above with respect to “cancer”, some cases of migraine headaches are covered, while others are not.
The definition that sets forth the requirements for qualifying as an “individual with a disability under ADA” is essentially the same as that defining a “serious health condition” under the FMLA.
False: The two definitions are vastly different. FMLA’s definition focuses on the need for continuing medical treatment and in-patient hospitalization while ADA’s definition is, as noted above, far more focused on the length and the long-term severity of the condition.
As you can see from these answers, ADA, and the state disability, discrimination laws are difficult laws to interpret and apply to the facts and conditions that occur and are present in your workplace. The definition of who is a qualified individual with a disability is a particularly knotty one. The Supreme Court has tackled this definition many times and Congress reversed a number of these decisions in passing the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008.
Posted in Human Resource Policies & Practices, Regulatory & Legal Updates, Survey Reports on July 19th, 2017 · Comments Off on ANSWERS TO ADA ISSUES QUIZ!
The involuntary turnover metric is also important. It can indicate that the company is keeping low performers which can also be costly. With this additional information, conclusions are now more easily drawn and the cost of turnover is more tangible (i.e., the cost of losing individuals in key positions is likely higher than losing individuals in low-impact positions). If losing hard to fill jobs, the job market may be tight and replacing these employees could be expensive. Losing individuals with strong reputations within the industry can impact stock analysts’ assessments of your firm. It can also send negative signals throughout your firm and the industry.
Today’s world moves fast, and as an employer, you should constantly be monitoring and adjusting your business operations to meet the ever-changing wants and needs of your employees. At WageWatch, we offer accurate, up-to-date salary survey reports and pay practice reports that will allow you to stay current with the times. This information is highly beneficial in creating the best salary and benefits packages that meet or rival the industry standards. For more information on our services, including market compensation data, benefits survey data and salary reports, please call WageWatch at 888-330-9243 or contact us online.