Employment Screening by ScreeningIntelligence.com for Human Resources

The Rise of Social HR

July 10, 2015 by screeningintel Leave a Comment

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.

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

Economy Adding Jobs as Unemployment Rate Remains Steady

April 28, 2015 by screeningintel 1 Comment

The latest government jobs report held both good and bad news for unemployed and underemployed workers. On the positive side, the U.S. economy continues to add jobs, with 126,000 nonfarm positions added in March. However, the employment sector is growing at a much slower pace that at any time in recent history.

Jobs

The unemployment rate held steady at 5.5 percent, as many economists had predicted it would. But economists also say wage growth has been stagnant during the recent recovery, NPR reports, and the unemployment rate may not fully represent the number of people looking for jobs.

The latest employment jobs numbers

The report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that in March, the number of unemployed people in the United States stood at 8.6 million, down by a little more than 1 percent in the past year. Additionally, the number of new unemployed people dropped by 157,000 in March and has decreased by 342,000 over the previous year. The number of long-term unemployed people dropped by 1.1 million over the past year.

Effects for workers and employers

NPR also reports that wage growth is at about 50 percent of its typical rate, suggesting that employers can attract workers easily without offering higher compensation. The sluggish wage growth also may mean that the reported unemployment rate doesn’t include everyone looking for a job.

Many part-time workers — some 6.5 million — would like to have full-time jobs. BLS reports that many of these workers have had their hours cut back or are unable to find full-time jobs.

In addition, BLS noted that in March, 2.1 million people wanted to work and had job-searched over the past year but had not tried in the month prior to the survey. Among those individuals, 738,000 were “discouraged workers” — those not looking for work because they feel certain nothing is available.

The report also included good news for certain employment sectors that continued to trend in a positive direction: business and professional services, retail and the health care industry.

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

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) government jobs report http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

A Background Check Goes Deeper than You Think

March 31, 2015 by screeningintel 2 Comments

Reviewing a person’s criminal history is of great importance, especially in certain industries; however, a background check can be used to gain access to lots of other valuable information.

According to a recent survey, most businesses (80 percent) perform one or more background checks when hiring new workers. More than half of the respondents stated they carry out educational verification checks, and almost half of them look at applicants’ driving records. And while large firms tend to conduct these checks more readily than small businesses, the latter nonetheless has hopped on the background check bandwagon.

Here’s a quick rundown of four common background search products that businesses should be using when hiring new workers.

Criminal History

Both felony and misdemeanor convictions can be identified through a criminal history background check. In some instances, it may even be possible to view charges that were brought forth but dismissed — manslaughter, domestic abuse, drug charges. Each state has its own laws regarding criminal history checks, such as providing access to only the past seven years of a person’s life.

Credit Report

A background check that reviews an applicant’s credit report is advantageous for positions that provide access to money or clients’ personal information. Bank tellers and loan officers are excellent examples of people who should have to undergo a credit report check in order to be hired.

Educational Check and Credential Check

For positions that require degrees, certain credentials, or certifications, educational checks are of the utmost importance. There are many applicants who falsify their information, and when hiring these people, this puts a huge liability on the company. Take for instance a healthcare facility that hires a nurse. If the nurse doesn’t truly have her nursing license and an incident were to take place, this could be detrimental to the facility’s ability to remain open.

Social Security Background Check

This background check is often overlooked, but it can deliver in-depth details about a person’s past. With a social security check, it’s possible to identify alias names of a person as well as the addresses of where the applicant lived during the past seven years. This means if Joe applies for a job and says that he has lived in Washington all of his life, yet his social security background check says he’s lived in five different states over the past seven years, then it will become obvious that he’s not telling the truth. Plus, by identifying alias names, this provides businesses the ability to conduct more comprehensive criminal background searches.

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

Workplace Violence – What Employers Need to Know

October 30, 2014 by screeningintel Leave a Comment

According to the United States Department of Labor, almost 2 million American workers are victimized at work every year and there is no way to determine how many workplace violence cases go unreported.

Violence in the workplace can strike anywhere and at any time. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards require that employers provide staff members with a workplace that is free of dangers. An employer can take precautions to minimize or even prevent issues related to workplace violence. Violence Prevention Programs and Employment Screening prior to hiring employees are two ways to help prevent workplace violence.

Workplace Violence, Defined

Workplace violence ranges from verbal abuse to homicide. These violent behaviors can involve clients, employees, visitors and customers.

Workplace violence is described as any threat or act of:

Harassment
Physical violence
Threatening disruptive behavior
Intimidation

Workplace Violence Costs to the Employer

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conducted a survey related to workplace violence. According to this survey, the direct costs to an organization connected with an incident of workplace violence include:

A general productivity loss of nearly 40 percent.
A management opportunity cost of almost 60 percent.
Replacement costs, due to worker turnover, more than 30 percent.

Reduce the Likelihood of Violence in the Workplace

OSHA states that implementing a violence prevention program, in conjunction with administrative and engineering controls, and sufficient training techniques can help reduce the probability of violence in the workplace. In order for a program such as this to be effective, all staff members must be aware that every claim of violence in the workplace is considered serious and will be investigated.

Employers must make it clear that upon completion of the investigation, guilty parties will be held responsible for their actions. Employers must consistently penalize individuals who do not abide by the rules set forth in the violence prevention program.

OSHA Law Requires Working Conditions be Free of Known Dangers

Workers deserve a safe workplace and clearly, employers want to keep their staff members safe. For this reason, employers need to identify the risk factors of their business and take the steps necessary to minimize or prevent such violent acts. If staff members believe their workplace does not meet the safety standards set forth by OSHA, they can file a complaint. Complaints such as these may prompt an inspection.

Background Screening May Help Staff Members Feel More Secure

One way an employer can make staff members feel more secure is by performing background screening on all employees. These employment background screening searches should include sex offender registry search information, criminal background search, employment eligibility verification, Social Security checks and professional reference checks. A thorough employment background screening may disclose undesirable past behaviors that may increase the possibility of an individual committing a violent act.

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

Searching For Talent? HR Employee Training Trends in 2014

June 30, 2014 by screeningintel 1 Comment

Find out how HR employee training is changing due to challenges and needs for managers and employees in 2014.

HR Employee Training Trends In 2014, companies are searching for talent. Talent is the new currency of human resources (HR) departments worldwide. The best HR departments are learning how to appeal to, recruit and retain talented employees. Technical skills are still in short supply from IT to science to analytics, therefore employees with excellent technical skills and ability will be highly coveted. Sourcing is moving to a global level due to the need for viable talent networks in business.

According to Josh Bersin, training departments will be renamed “capability departments.” Companies will learn to partner with colleges and universities, begin or expand apprenticeships, assign developmental tasks and concentrate on ongoing learning and development. These are the companies that will attract the best talent going forward.

In a survey published by BLR Training and Development, more than 1,050 businesses provided responses regarding employee training methods. From this survey, it was clear that training new and existing employees in a corporation has changed, exhibiting new trends for 2014. Here are some of the findings from this survey.

Compliance Training

Compliance employee training given to employees and staff in order of frequency:

New hire orientation
Sexual harassment
Emergency procedures
Safety/hazardous materials
Discrimination

Compliance employee training given to managers and supervisors in order of frequency:

Sexual harassment
Discrimination
New hire orientation
Emergency preparedness
Safety/hazardous materials

Professional Development

These topics were rated in importance for professional development of managers and supervisors. Managers and supervisors ranked leadership as the most important subject for formal mentoring programs.

Leadership–82.6%
Handling problem employees–76%
Ethics and integrity–71.7%
Communication–69.4%
Team building–69.1%

Highest Training Need

Companies were asked what kind of training that they needed the most. The types of training are ranked below.

Leadership and supervisory–20%
Job skills–22%
Compliance–12%

The biggest complaint, 27% of respondents, stated that there isn’t enough time for training. 39% of respondents said that training lasted one hour, 19% said two hours and 15% said all day.

HR’s Role in Employee Training

What is the role of the human resources department in your training methods and techniques?

Decide what training is needed–86%
Purchase training materials–80%
Conduct the actual training–79%

Common training methods are:

In-person by staff–60%
Print materials–40%
Online–36%
DVD/Video–20%
In-person by someone outside the company–19%

HR Technology

Bersin states that HR technology and content is booming and will continue to expand in 2014. Integrated solutions for HR are being developed while talent management companies offer end-to-end and analytics solutions. These include mobile apps, increase of video and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). Technology is there to simplify the complexity of HR needs and methods in order to deliver value.

Challenges

HR teams need to be “reskilled” in order to go through radical change. It is no longer an administrative team rather a team that is needed to acquire, develop, retain and manage high-level talent. HR teams are being asked to become “data-driven” by using real data to understand the people under their purview. It is not good enough to just use judgment or common sense.

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