Background Investigation Blogs

With Christmas behind us and the New Year's Eve celebration almost upon us, police departments nationwide have reached the halfway point in their annual end of the year DUI campaigns that target “over the limit” holiday revelers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) recent study announced that from 2002 to 2006, nearly four fatalities out of ten involved alcohol-impaired crashes that took place during the Christmas and New Year's Eve holiday window. In 2006, The NHTSA stated that over 1.46 million drivers were arrested for DUI of either alcohol or narcotics resulting in an arrest rate of 1 for every 139 licensed drivers in America!

Employers should heed these eye-opening statistics when considering hiring new employees in the upcoming new year, especially if they will be driving a company vehicle. Employers should work with a professional background screening and drug testing firm such as Employment Background Investigations, Inc. (EBI) for consultation on how to establish a multi-leveled workplace drug and alcohol testing program including the use of instant testing solutions.  Employment screening protocols should also include a thorough check of motor vehicle records as well as criminal records to uncover any DUI's or other serious violations.

The USCIS recently updated the lists of valid documentation that can be used during the Form I-9 employee verification process. The USCIS deemed temporary Resident Cards and older versions of the Employment Authorization Card as unacceptable and removed all expired I-688 forms off of list A. Additions to list A include foreign passports marked with a temporary I-551 stamp and machine-readable visas with a temporary I-551 printed notation and passports from Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.  Approved documents for Form I-9 employee verification are categorized into 3 lists: List A) Verifies identity and employment authorization; List B) Verifies identity only and List C) verifies employment authorization only. To be in complete compliance with all current and new E-Verify and I-9 legislation, employers should consult a professional background screening firm. Employment Background Investigations, Inc. (EBI) is a federally authorized designated E-Verify Agent versed in all federal and state I-9 legislation.

Mr. Samuel Wurzelbacher, A.K.A. "Joe the Plumber" should feel a bit vindicated after Department of Job and Family Services Director Helen Jones-Kelley resigned and two other Ohio state officials were suspended for improperly using state computers to access his personal information back in October. It was speculated that Mr. Wurzelbacher was targeted by the Obama camp for questioning the candidate’s proposed tax policies. The investigation into "Joe the Plumber's" personal information was an intrusive act that was not authorized by Mr. Wurzelbacher and to make matters worse his private information went nationally public. Maybe the Ohio state government should contract with a reputable and knowledgeable professional background screening firm to ensure that all Ohio state background investigations are done legally and according to all applicable federal and state laws. The background screening industry, usually used for employment screening, is governed by legislation such as the FCRA in order to protect the privacy of individuals. When it comes to background investigations, consent to conduct a screening is imperative. In the end, it seems that "Joe the Plumber's" leak has indeed been plugged.

In February, New York will be enacting three new hiring rules aimed at aiding ex-offenders find sustainable employment.  Under the new rules, employers will be afforded some sort of legal protection against lawsuits for negligent hiring if they hire ex-offenders based on New York Correctional Law Article 23-A. The new rules require employers to provide a copy of Article 23-A to all job candidates undergoing a background investigation. Under the rules, employers are also required to post a copy of Article 23-A in an area that is largely visible to all employees. The new rules also mandate that employers provide a copy of Article 23-A to any applicant in which their background investigation contains a criminal record.  Employers should begin to analyze their current background screening packages and consult with a professional background screening firm such as Employment Background Investigations, Inc. (EBI) to ensure proper compliance with New York Correctional Law Article 23-A.

A recent study conducted in Montreal, Canada pointed out that some Canadian drivers are under the influeunce of narcotics while behind the wheel of their vehicles. The Canadian Centre on Substance recently conducted a survey of 1,500 Canadian drivers and found that while 8% of nighttime drivers tested positive for alcohol, over 10% showed evidence of drug use. In total, 17% of drivers tested positive for drugs, alcohol or both. The most common forms of drugs that were found in the tests were marijuana, cocaine and opiates. This past summer, Canadian police were given the authority to arrest and drug test suspected impaired drivers if deemed necessary.

Employers need to look at this general public survey and analyze how it could affect their businesses in two different ways. First, anyone arrested and charged for driving while under the influence of drugs will have some sort of criminal record that should show up on a background investigation that is comparable to a DUI or DWI. Secondly, with 17% of the drivers in the survey illegally operating their vehicles under the influence, employers should be testing those employees who drive in some capacity on behalf of the company.

Employers should work with a professional background screening and drug testing firm such as Employment Background Investigations, Inc. (EBI) for consultation on how to establish a multi-leveled workplace drug and alcohol testing program including the use of instant testing solutions. EBI also has the technology to manage random drug and alcohol testing rosters and programs.

Last week, three employees of a  Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Redding, California were suspended for bathing in the restaurant's high capacity sink that is used to clean the dishes.  The employees were caught when one of the culprits posted photos of them bathing in the sink on the Internet.  The photos were found on one of the girl's public myspace page. There is probably a chance that these girls will not have a "squeaky" clean employment record when they apply for another job and undergo a background investigation.  An employer should always verify an applicant's past employment history when hiring to fill new positions.  Employment verifications paint a picture of a candidate's past job performance and are a good predictor of future job performance.  Industry statistics state that close to 35% of job applicants spin some sort of lie on their applications - so it only makes sense to verify previous employment records.  Professional references add value to any employment verifications package as they can clarify a candidate’s actual past duties and qualify dates of employment.  Professional reference interviews can provide insight into moral character and general work ethic as well.  Hiring Managers should certainly seek out a professional background screening firm that can tailor verification programs to fit their needs and budgets.  NAPBS Member, Employment Background Investigations, Inc. (EBI) offers robust verification and credentialing screening packages that are in-depth, affordable and flexible.

A recent scuttlebutt in the Australian Parliament has politicians calling for voluntary breath tests and for breath-testing kits to be stored on the premises. It turns out that a New South Wales politician showed up to Parliament for a late night vote apparently drunk after having a few cocktails at a local holiday party. The inebriated politician shoved another politician in a heated political argument and caused quite a stir that resulted in the call for parliament to screen their members. The New South Wales Parliament's Speaker Richard Torbay said he would have no problem with a breathalyzer scheme in Parliament as long as it was voluntary. "I think it's important to establish high standards that the community expects," he said.

Drug and alcohol testing of employees can help protect a workplace from unseen incidents of workplace violence. Testing can also increase workplace safety as well as deter substance abusers from coming to work intoxicated or even stop abusers from applying for positions where testing is required. Employers should contact a professional background screening and drug testing firm such as Employment Background Investigations, Inc. (EBI) for consultation on how to establish a multi-leveled workplace drug and alcohol testing program including the use of instant testing solutions.  EBI also has the technology to manage random drug and alcohol testing rosters and programs.

In the post-9/11 world, with domestic terrorism being a major concern, one would think that the U.S. government would be a little more cautious in their hiring, promotion and screening protocols. Several years ago, an investigation by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) uncovered that the federal government had on its payroll several employees that had obtained fake education credentials from non-accredited learning institutions known as “Diploma Mills.” The GAO's investigation focused on eight federal agencies in order to bring to light the problem of government employee use of diploma mills. The eight government departments that were questioned by the GAO included the Departments of Education; Energy; Health and Human Services; Homeland Security; Transportation; Veterans Affairs; the Small Business Administration and the Office of Personnel Management.

The GAO's focused investigation into those eight departments concluded that the large number of employees with false credentials on those eight government rosters likely understated the extent to which the overall federal government employed workers with fraudulent credentials. Many government agencies have difficulty in providing reliable candidate data because they do not have systems in place to properly verify academic degrees or to detect fees for degrees that are masked as fees for training courses. Additionally, the data that the GAO obtained likely does not reflect the true extent to which senior-level federal employees have used diploma mills to obtain degrees because some government agencies do not sufficiently verify the degrees that employees claim to have or the schools that issued the degrees. Finally, The GAO found that there are no uniform verification practices throughout the government whereby agencies can obtain information and conduct effective queries on schools and their accreditation status.

The government needs to become more accountable in the realm of hiring and promoting high-level officials into our country’s most important and vital departments. Not only is it irresponsible for Uncle Sam to spend U.S. tax payer money to hire and pay top salaries to unqualified employees with false education credentials but it is also careless to let federal funds be used for the purchase these fake degrees. One has to be concerned when the government once allowed an employee with a fake masters degree to have high-level security clearance at the National Nuclear Security Administration. Employers should look at the GAO's report on the government's flawed vetting and hiring processes and view it as an example of what not to do. To protect themselves from "Diploma Mill" fraud, employers should consult with a professional background screening firm to make sure that their screening protocols follow best industry practices and are fully compliant with all federal, state and industry relevant legislation.

As Santa Claus prepares for his annual good will trip around the globe on December 24th, his stand-ins are marching towards shopping malls and holiday parties across the globe to spread cheer to all good little boys and girls. With that said, employers and hiring managers should know that filling an important position such as "Mall Santa" should always entail a due diligent background investigation. As Santa Claus will be interacting with children, logic dictates that the first step in screening Mr. Claus should be a multi-leveled criminal records and sex offender search. Hiring Managers should perform a search of County, State, Federal and even National criminal records to ensure Santa has a clean slate. Also, If Santa is going to be driving the company "sleigh" this year, a thorough state Motor Vehicle Records check will surely tell if your Santa has sipped to much of the holiday "eggnog" in the past.

Hiring Managers should look into a Santa's employment history  to see if he or she has performed as an honorable decoy for the real Santa during their recent mall tours. A professional reference from previous managers should be able to tell you how much cheer Santa really spread while on duty. When qualifying a Santa's education, well you should only need to look at the “Ivy League” of Santa Colleges - The International University of Santa Claus. Yes, there really are Santa Schools! Always background check your Santa Claus candidates for a safe and cheerful holiday season.

The U.S. Government has issued a mandate in the form of E-Verify Executive Order 12989 requiring federal contractors and subcontractors to use E-Verify to qualify their employee's legal right to work. The government has set January 15, 2009 as the date for federal contractors to begin abiding by E-Verify Executive Order 12989. After January 15th, all companies that win government contracts will be required to enroll in E-Verify within 30 days of any contract award date if they are not already participating in the verification program. Employers that are unsure of the E-Verify protocol should contact a Federally Authorized Designated E-Verify Agent such as Employment Background Investigations, Inc. (EBI) to ensure compliance with all government required I-9 legislation.

EBI offers a free E-Verify live demo as well as in-depth E-Verify consulting to answer all of your I-9 Screening questions.  Sign-Up Today!