EmployeeScreenIQ Appears at U.S. Civil Rights Commission Briefing
Global Screening Provider Offers Expert Testimony On Criminal Background Checks
Cleveland, OH, December 10, 2012–Speaking before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, EmployeeScreenIQ offered expert testimony on Friday regarding the importance of www.employeescreen.com [employment background checks], the company’s process for conducting them and how employers use this important hiring tool responsibly. The Commission convened the investigation to determine whether the new Equal Employment Opportunity Council (EEOC) Guidance and other prohibitions or limitations on the use of criminal background checks encourage or discourage re-entry by former offenders into the job market.
“Our business is based on the core belief that background checks are necessary for employers to make informed hiring decisions,” said Nick Fishman, chief marketing officer, EmployeeScreenIQ, speaking on behalf of the company. “If you add up the cost of negligent hiring lawsuits, employee theft, negative employee morale and the potential human cost and loss that can occur in the workplace, in addition to the cost of a bad hire due to lack of organizational fit or qualifications, we believe that employers would be negligent in not performing background checks.”
In its own news release, the Commission noted that from an employer’s perspective, the use of criminal background checks may help ensure a safe environment for customers and employees, reduce legal liability for negligent hiring, reduce or prevent criminal activity, comply with state laws requiring background checks and assess overall applicant trustworthiness. From the EEOC’s point of view, according to the Commission’s release, the increased use of criminal background checks indicates possible disparate impact discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Fishman noted that the findings of his company’s 2012 marketplace survey indicate that employers are looking for reasons to include, not exclude, job applicants.
“Our research suggests that the majority of employers do not eliminate a candidate solely on the basis of a criminal record,” said Fishman. “In fact, respondents largely indicate that qualifications are more important than a lack of a criminal record when making a hiring decision.
Fishman also pointed out that when a criminal record is revealed, the background report does not include race, religion, sexual orientation or other protected class information.
Other highlights of Fishman’s testimony:
– EmployeeScreenIQ recommends other options including focusing on programs that offer training to those with criminal records and looking at laws that have been enacted across the country to help those with criminal records succeed in the workplace, such as certificates of rehabilitation or employability that afford employers legal protection.
– It is his company’s responsibility to ensure “maximum possible accuracy” as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and one it takes seriously. As a result, the process is meticulous; the company’s dispute rate is just 0.15 percent. When there is a dispute, EmployeeScreenIQ resolves it far sooner than is required by law and on the rare occasion when it is necessary, modifies the information without penalizing the candidate or unnecessarily delaying the hire.
“Enacting laws that inhibit an employer’s ability to perform proper due diligence is not the answer and can lead to devastating consequences for the company, its employees, customers and the public,” concluded Fishman. “You can’t ask employers to ignore information that could make them liable or keep them in the dark.”
Other experts scheduled to appear included representatives from the EEOC, Akin Gump LLP, Keswick Advisors, Fortune Society, Society for Human Resources Management, HIRE Network, Sue Weaver CAUSE, G4S Secure Solutions USA, WinningWorkTeams, Universal Studios Resort, Jackson Lewis LLP and Council for Employment Law Equity, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, National Association of Professional Background Screeners, National Association for Home Care, Duane Miller LLP, National Small Business Association, National Retail Federation, Georgetown University and Carnegie Mellon.
About EmployeeScreenIQ
EmployeeScreenIQ helps employers make smart hiring decisions. The company achieves this through a comprehensive suite of employment background screening services including the industry’s most thorough and accurate criminal background checks, resume verification services and substance abuse screening. EmployeeScreenIQ is accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), a distinction earned by less than two percent of all employment screening companies. For more information, visit http://www.EmployeeScreen.com
Media Contacts:
Nick Fishman, EmployeeScreenIQ
(847) 564-5410
[email protected]
Jackie Jusko
HRmarketer for EmployeeScreenIQ
(415) 460-9984
[email protected]
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