Month: August 2013

Categories
Background Checks Criminal Records Human Resources Miscellany preemployment screening Recruiting Staffing Uncategorized

Judge Decides in Favor of Freeman in EEOC vs Freeman Discrimination Case

Last week a federal judge dismissed the discrimination charges against Freeman, a global marketing solutions company.   In 2009, the EEOC filed its discrimination case against Freeman, believing Freeman was discriminating against minorities based on the use of employment candidates’ criminal histories and credit records.

Freeman decided to defend its decisions and take the case to court.  Noted the Freeman press release…”Pamela Wills-Ward, Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Freeman was pleased by the ruling and believes Judge Titus said it all in his opinion when he held that “by bringing this action of this nature, the EEOC has placed many employers in the ‘Hobson’s choice’ of ignoring criminal history and credit background, thus exposing themselves to potential liability for criminal and fraudulent acts committed by employees, on the one hand, or incurring the wrath of the EEOC for having utilized information deemed fundamental by most employers.” Judge Titus, in his opinion, went on to say that “something more, far more than what is relied upon by the EEOC in this case must be utilized to justify a disparate impact claim based upon criminal history and credit checks. To require less would be to condemn the use of common sense, and this is simply not what the discrimination laws of this country require.”

As there has been much controversy surrounding EEOC’s legal pursuit of discrimination cases, this case should prove interesting as a benchmark as to what is discriminatory and what is reasonable practices when utilizing background checks.

 

 

Categories
Background Checks Human Resources Miscellany preemployment screening Staffing Uncategorized

AOL Chief Fires Employee While on a Conference Call to Rally the Troops

Here is an odd business.   AOL Chief,  Tim Armstrong, while on a conference call tells an employee he is fired.   A mere thousand staffers bore witness to what appeared to be an impromptu firing.

Here to hear the audio tape of the firing click on Yahoo

Categories
Background Checks Human Resources Miscellany preemployment screening Staffing Uncategorized

Community Colleges and a Loss of Accreditation

Most of us have heard of diploma mills.  That’s where  someone hands over a couple hundred bucks and receives a diploma for “life experience.”  It is a nothing diploma and either the employment candidate is trying to pull a fast one or they truly don’t know they have spent their money for nothing.   Diploma mills are common and can hand you a degree either for the aforesaid life experience or for answering a few easy questions.

But we know that diploma mills are bogus.  However, with community colleges it is quite another story.   We believe that they are accredited.  We believe they will deliver what a job applicant will need to show viable proof of an advanced education.

But, unfortunately, this is not always the case.  As evidenced in the recent article in the Los Angeles Times, some community colleges are losing accreditation.  In California, this is becoming the case with far too many of its community colleges.  Notes the article…”Of California’s 112 community colleges, one, College of the Sequoias in the Central Valley town of Visalia, is operating under the most serious penalty — “show cause” — meaning the college is substantially out of compliance with requirements and must correct deficiencies to remain accredited. Five other colleges are on probationary status, and 13 have been given warnings.”

Time for these schools to clean up their act.  It’s difficult enough finding a job without students discovering after the fact that their time spent going to college may have been wasted.

 

Categories
Background Checks

Revisited–Canadian Paramedics Face Abuse on the Job

Here is a blast from the past on workplace violence and Canadian Paramedics facing workplace violence in the form of verbal and physical abuse.   As with their American counterparts, it’s not just the job itself that’s fraught with danger.   It’s the people the paramedics have to deal with…

“Working in healthcare can be a dangerous business.  Some employees, like nurses and emergency workers, should be getting hazard pay.    Not only are there incumbent dangerous of working in critical environments, dealing with diseases, infected needles, clothing, whatever, but on top of all that patients can give our healthcare workers a very difficult time.”

For the full article click on this link