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Background Checks Criminal Records Economy Healthcare Employment Advice Human Resources Miscellany preemployment screening Staffing Uncategorized

Healthcare Can Be a Dangerous Occupation

Working in healthcare can be a dangerous occupation.  Maybe it is not like a cop or a fireman, but healthcare workers are subjected to a lot of violence.   A recent article in the Wall Street Journal attested that healthcare workers are often subjected to assault.  While there have been documented episodes of shootings, it is the physical assault that seems to be the more prominent hazard.

Now I have in the past written about various malfeasance among healthcare workers.  Some healthcare workers have undergone shoddy employment screening only to later to discover that they were themselves convicted, felons, sex offenders, or suffering from substance abuse.   These revelations, of course, came largely after the worker acted out and attracted undue attention by stealing or physically or psychologically assaulted a patient left in their care.   I have written about this a number of times.  One such article was entitled, Fake Nurse Conviction and the Need for Healthcare Background Checks.  This was where someone posed as a nurse but lacked the requisite credentials.

So, yes, there have been award winning  studies about healthcare malfeasance and the need for more comprehensive background checks  from groups like Pro Publica and Newspapers like the Los Angeles Times.  There have been innumerable articles  about violence, theft, and substance abuse that has not benefited the industry as a whole.  But, let’s face it, most healthcare workers are diligent and reputable and really don’t need to face potential violence by sheer virtue of showing up for the job.

According to the article in the WSJ, shooting are pretty rare.   But physical assault is on the increase.  According to the WSJ,  the authors of the study maintain that physicians are not perceived with the historical reverence that was once so prominent among the public at large.    As health care is a business that appears to some as more concerned about profit and monetization,  patients become increasingly frustrated with the bureaucracy.  And then there is the ugly fact that civility ain’t what it used to be and violence is a more acceptable solutions.  Not good, but probably accurate.

So while some lament healthcare and call for reform where all patients should be treated, perhaps the increased incidence of assault against healthcare workers should be taken into consideration.  Maybe if you are a patient and choose to act out, you go to the back of the line.  I don’t know.  But no one should have to be in the business of treating people and risk injury or death.

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Background Checks Criminal Records Human Resources Miscellany preemployment screening Staffing Uncategorized

Count Courts Closed From Criminal Records on President’s Day

Today is President’s Day.  There used to be Washington’s Birthday and then Lincoln’s Birth.  These days they are all rolled into one–President’s Day.  The poor school kids who get gypped out of an extra holiday.

Nevertheless, the County Courts are closed throughout the United States.   This means for those doing county criminal records search as part of their employment screening program, there will be a slight delay in retrieving from the courthouses.

Corra Group would like to wish its clients a very happy President’s Day.  Enjoy the time with friends and family.

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Background Checks Criminal Records Human Resources Miscellany preemployment screening Recruiting Uncategorized

Facebook Social Media Background Checking Case Nears Settlement

There seem to be two hot button issues that are percolating these days.  One is the controversy over firearms purchases and the need for background checks.   The second relates to social media background checks as they refer to employment screening.

The recent lawsuit, known as the Facebook case, is reaching a settlement.

The court case alleged that American Medical Response fired  its employee because she bad  mouthed her supervisor on Facebook.   The probable settlement will preclude this case from establishing an important precedent in employment law with respect to  how non-working time social media use can be regulated.

According to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), “…the company (American Medical Response) was too general in establishing guidelines for social media postings in its employee handbook .  Issues like blogging, Internet posting, and communications between employees,  were too broadly defined.  The suit alleged as well that American Medical Response had illegally denied union representation to the employee during an investigatory interview shortly before the employee posted the negative comments on her Facebook page.” As part of the undisclosed settlement with the CT employee, the company will revise its employment policies.

While no precedent was legally established, this case  will provide at least some guidelines with concern for employee social media practices.  Still, the beat goes on as social media becomes more prominent in society and issues about employee free speech and social media monitoring for employment screening  purposes will remain controversial.    Any concrete determination of precedents and practices probably  still remains years away.

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Background Checks Criminal Records Economy Human Resources Miscellany Recruiting Staffing Uncategorized

The Mixed Bag of Social Media Employment Screening

On one of the human resources and recruiting sites there is an ongoing discussion about Social Media as a Background Check and how it may apply to the hiring process.    There are also concerns for Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) compliance and other issues that are being addressed.

As the social media background check is one search as one writer puts it “where the genie is out of the bag,” I believe this aspect of employment screening must prove fair and constructive and not deter the more individualist but talented candidates from being considered for employment.

Here is what I wrote to address the issues of concern…

Social media monitoring is an evolving process. There is the danger of going by rote and developing a standard where the more eccentric but highly talented and very capable candidates are dismissed because of questionable postings. Surely, there are the obvious notable issues–whether the candidate’s disparages his employers or managers, and whether he parties on Monday nights or showers only once a month whether needs it or not. But then by what criteria are qualified candidates dismissed because of eccentricity or personality characteristics that are neither real negatives or in any way interfere with job performance? While this is not necessarily a more blatant FCRA issue, there may be potential discrimination as well as the denial of employment to qualified and talented candidates. As I noted up front, social media monitoring is an evolving process, and this is one key issue that should be ironed out over time.