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Part-Time Employee And Juvenile Background Checks

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Juvenile Background Checks

Background checks are par for the course among full-time employers, but an increasing number of part-time employers are also following suit. The result is a greater number of high school employees being asked to satisfy background screening requirements, with many of these young workers not even having reached the age of eighteen. Although records for young offenders are often sealed, juvenile background checks have a way of revealing details indicative of whether a particular teen could be a risk to take on. Equipped with this information, employers must determine whether juvenile applicants who fail to pass obligatory juvenile background checks are worth the risk they pose.

Why Screen for Juvenile Background Checks

When making hiring decisions, some employers are quick to give younger applicants the benefit of the doubt, with many failing to even bother with a criminal background search for teenage prospects. These employers believe that they can learn everything they need through the interview process or, perhaps, by checking a few references. While both approaches are excellent for determining whether an applicant has a future with the company for which they have applied, this may not be enough to determine whether a young applicant could pose a risk if hired. With teens, as with all other applicants, background screening can remove some doubt.

Even trusting employers find themselves performing background screening on adolescent applicants simply because they believe that it is fair to all of the other employees. If one applicant must pass a background screening in order to be hired, it is only fair to ask the same of the others, regardless of age.

What To Do If A Teenage Applicant Fails A Juvenile Background Checks Screening

Failed juvenile background checks are of major concern for any employer, as this most likely indicates that the applicant has committed a crime within the last year or two. Can the prospective employee be trusted to have changed his or her ways since then? It is important to follow through and ask the employee for an explanation, as well as proof of completed community service hours. Some leniency is to be expected, as teenagers are prone to mistakes. Through the criminal background follow-up process, worried employers can determine whether potentially problematic adolescent applicants are likely to make similar mistakes while on the job.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

How Employers Can Reduce the Odds of Violence in the Workplace

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From employees creating a hostile and emotionally unhealthy work environment to workplace shootings, there seems to be no shortage of reports of violence in the workplace these days. A Virginia man killing two of his former co-workers while they were broadcasting live on the air is just the latest of these disturbing incidents. Vester Flanagan gunned down Adam Ward and Alison Parker in a shocking display of workplace hostility being taken to its most tragic extreme.

Violence in the Workplace

Whether caused by a tough job market or just the stresses of modern life, violence in the workplace is a very real risk for employers today. However, there are steps companies can take to help reduce the risk to their employees as well as their own liability. It starts with knowing who is being hired, and there are ways to screen potential new hires for the risk of workplace violence so that they are not hired.

Here are four effective ways employers can reduce the odds of violence in the workplace:

1. Criminal Background Check

A criminal background check is perhaps the best way to screen for a history of documented violence or criminal activity. Any criminal incident should be a big red flag for business owners and HR departments.

2. Check References

It is standard for applicants to provide work and character references on their resumes or job applications. Employers should contact every reference and ask a question or two about the candidate’s temperament, how they handle stress, and if they are prone to any problematic behavior.

3. Using Interview Intuition

While some persons can hide a bad temper or a tendency toward violent behavior very well, with others, the signs of a volatile nature can show during the interview. If the interviewer senses edginess or glimpses of a disposition prone to anger, these are also red flags.

4. Professional Employment Background Screening

A professional employment background screening service can help take a lot of the guesswork out of vetting potential new hires and can potentially uncover a candidate who has had a history of violence in the workplace. This service should screen for a criminal history, the sex offender registry as well as government watch lists. Professional employment background screening helps employers to avoid hiring employees who poses a risk to the safety, security and positive energy of a workplace environment.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

4 Tips for Verifying References of a Rental Applicant

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One of the most important components of screening potential tenants is asking for and verifying references. References from past landlords, employers and others who can verify their character can help to confirm the applicant is a trustworthy individual. The same procedure should be used for every potential tenant in order to stay compliant with the Federal Fair Housing Act. Inconsistencies could be seen as discriminatory and might cause a tenant to take legal action.

Verifying References

Landlords can use these 4 tips for verifying references.

1. The Rental Application

A quality rental application can assist landlords in conducting a thorough check of a tenant’s references. They can be created from scratch; however, there are also a number of pre-made forms that can be downloaded from the Internet. There should be lines related to gathering information about former landlord(s), rental dates, amount of rent paid per month, number of late payments, and any legal action taken. The applicant’s date of birth, social security number, employer references and character references should also be collected.

2. Authorization for Background, Reference and Credit Check

Written authorization should be obtained from the applicant allowing the landlord to complete a background search and credit check as well as for verifying references related to past rental history and employment. This can be easily accomplished with text on the application with a line for the applicant to sign and date it verifying that they give their permission.

3. Verifying References by Calling Previous Landlords and Employers

The applicant’s previous two landlords and employers should be called to verify their track record as a tenant and an employee. Valuable information can be yielded from these conversations that can help to determine if an applicant is a good fit. Some landlords and employers may ask to see a copy of the written permission given by the applicant.

4. Check Credit History and Criminal Background

Reference verifications can be augmented with a credit history and criminal background check using a tenant screening service. Using a professional tenant background screening service requires a fee, but in many cases it can be passed along to the rental applicant. Some states have specific rules and limits for doing so; landlords should verify the laws for their area. They might also consider refunding this cost from the first month’s rent.

Verifying references and having a thorough tenant evaluation performed can help landlords to connect with quality tenants. These four steps are key to rental applicant verification and can help to prevent stress and headaches down the road.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

The Rise of Social HR

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A workplace trend known as social HR continues to gain momentum in 2015. It proves that social media is for more than just entertainment purposes off-the-clock. Over the years, many employees have learned the hard way that their social media profiles can and do influence whether they get and keep a job. Unprofessional photos and badmouthing a company or boss on Facebook have led to plenty of careless employees getting canned.

Social HR

Now social media has permeated even deeper, becoming an aide to human resource professionals. Not only can it help to narrow down potential employees during recruiting, track employee arrivals, and promote and market to increase sales, but it is also a crucial component to attracting employees. According to MIT Sloan, a study published in 2015 and reported on in Forbes found that more than 50 percent of all employees want to work in a job where their bosses and managers have what’s called “social business sophistication.”

While some may dismiss this as another branch of millennial entitlement, doing so is foolish. With these millennials becoming a bigger and bigger part of the current workforce, some employers that have been stuck in their ways will have to change with the times to best benefit their company.

Social HR includes leveraging social media for the benefit of a company.

Social media is everywhere, and people literally take it with them whenever they go. Not only can you access Google+ or Facebook on your smartphone or tablet, but now with wearable technology like the Apple Watch, the world is around your wrist. Business Insider Intelligence reports through Forbes that in a few short years in 2018 that the wearable technology trend will grow into a $12 billion cash cow.

Employers shouldn’t shy away from the Apple Watch and related technology. Instead, wearables can benefit employees and employers alike, especially once the Microsoft Band surfaces, which can handle phone calls and emails on the go. Employees are always accessible, and if you can reach out to someone at any time, work gets done faster without stressful time crunches.

These wearable devices also have access to apps and can be integrated with social HR tools. While an employer may think that these are just time-wasters, many companies have created their own apps for their customers to use. Gartner through Forbes found that at least 25 percent of enterprise companies should have an app by 2017. Those without a wearable device can still social HR use apps, which are available on tablets, smartphones, and even some computers. Once again these streamline work. Of course, HR Pros will have to use social HR technology on a case-by-case basis.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

Source: http://www.hrzone.com/hr-glossary/what-is-social-hr

Millennials in the Workplace: Now the Largest Work Demographic

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For decades following WW2 baby boomers were the go-to demographic in the workplace. Everything evolved from understanding how to work with this majority age group, from the methods of communication to the official training styles of employees. Now, however, the demographic has shifted. Millennials in the workplace have officially taken that No. 1 slot in the workforce. Anticipate great changes regarding human resources’ operations in the near future.

Millennials in the Workplace

Definition of a Millennial

People born from 1980 to 2000 are categorized as millennials. This age group encompasses the 18- to 34-year-olds taking over the job market. According to the Pew Research Center, as of May 2015 millennials in the workplace make up 34 percent of the American workforce, placing baby boomers at third place with 29 percent. Expect that number to only grow further and further apart thanks to the retirement of baby boomers and the improved job market placing millennials back in the office desk.

Workplace Differences: Millennials vs. Baby Boomers

Along with a title, this age cohort carries with it a great deal of challenges. For starters, millennials have an entirely different attitude compared to baby boomers when it comes to working. On one side of the ring you have baby boomers who are content with choosing a single career and employer, and staying put until they draw Social Security benefits. Not the case with millennials who, as noted by The Wall Street Journal, are restless. The median time for a millennial on a job? Sixteen months to three years, with the shorter amount of time belonging to the young ones among the millennials. Millennials are less willing to stick around if the workplace is not challenging, growing or beneficial to their professional goals.

Human Resource Changes with Millennials in the Workplace

In order to keep up with the times, human resource departments are going to need to ramp up their efforts. One such effort is in employee training. Training, whether dealing with a new hire or handling ongoing training, is one of the areas where maintaining millennials’ interests is made possible. By encouraging communication with training can help secure millennials with job satisfaction. Consider implementing various mentorship programs including reverse mentoring, as discussed by Forbes, as a way for millennials to teach while learning from baby boomers. Open up the training process to allow millennials in the workplace a chance to spread their professional wings. Your employee retention rates will benefit, in addition to your reputation as a company willing to keep up with the times.

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is never intended as legal advice and is for information purposes only.

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