Since its launch in May, our online job application system, QuickApp, has literally taken the industry by storm. Based on client feedback, we've added so many new enhancements and features that it's practically impossible to list them all in this newsletter.

QuickApp streamlines the hiring process and cuts time and expense. Applicants do the tedious data entry work for you, cutting your labor costs and overhead. The platform includes a complete online application and an electronic release form.

The process includes legal disclosures, authorization, digital signature, and the entering in of the applicant's identifying information.

Why QuickApp?

• Accept applications online, 24/7
• Eliminate data entry costs and reduce errors
• Guarantee legal compliance with FCRA mandated background check disclosures and authorization/release forms.
• View and print records from within QuickApp
• Reduce your exposure and liability to age discrimination lawsuits and identity theft claim

Call your TenantSafe/ApplicantSafe rep today at 800-498-3200 for more information.

California employers will now be legally forbidden to seek credit reports from employees or potential employees, thanks to Governor Jerry Brown signing into law Assembly Bill 22 (AB 22) taking effect January 1, 2012. California will join Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, and Washington with similar bills.

However, certain jobs are permitted to have credit searches done, such as a position in the state Department of Justice, a managerial position, a law enforcement position, or a position that involves regular access to $10,000 or more of cash, among others. The Bill requires the explicit notification to the person who is being checked, and why they are being checked.

New employees of the city of Rusk, Texas, will now have to pass drug tests before starting work. Current employees will not be randomly tested. Applicants will be asked if they consent to a drug test. Some city council members agree with the policy change, especially as many other jobs require pre-employment drug screening. Others questioned whether a one-time test would be an effective screen against habitual drug users, as they could stay clean for the week before the test and then resume using drugs.

Different drugs are detectable in the blood for different lengths of time, with some showing up in testing up to 30 days after last use, and many still detectable in the hair up to 90 days later.

More hiring of ex-cons?

The city of Richmond, California, is making it easier for formerly convicted criminals to work for the city. The application for city jobs no longer asks whether a person was convicted of committing a crime, but some departments including public safety and transit will ask that question in a second application. This will reportedly help ex-criminals to assimilate more readily, as it can be difficult for them to find work, a factor which may lead to further crime. Other cities in California are working toward changing their job applications as well.

Cumberland County drops criminal conviction check box on applications

Job seekers in Cumberland County, North Carolina will no longer have to disclose on job applications if they have convictions. Officials voted unanimously to have employees examine a prospective employee's credentials only, but at the interview may ask about a criminal past. Criminal background checks and checks into the National Sex Offender Registry are permitted as well. Only when it is relevant to the job can employees have their driving record or credit history checked, too.

DMV worker stole identities

After a year of investigation, North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation laid 18 charges against a former clerk with the Division of Motor Vehicles, including multiple counts of identity theft. Her employers found copies of driver's licenses and Social Security cards in Kimberly Torres' desk, and she was soon fired.

They found that she used a DMV computer to take out loans using other people's names and identities, deposit the money into bank accounts then take out the cash. She faces up to 27 years in prison. It is not known where she got the identity cards, as she did not have access through the DMV to personal records.

Government on watchful eye for illegals

14 New England employers have been fined this year for facilitating the hiring of illegal aliens. Fines in the New England region include: Jasper Wyman & Son, a company in Milbridge, Maine, accounted for $118,000 of the fine settlements; Commercial Cleaning Service of Allston, Mass., was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine; and D'Agostino Associates, Inc., Newton, Mass., was fined $22,792.

This was as a result of an investigation and audit of Form I-9 documents by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations. This program was launched in 2009, and nearly 4,000 businesses have been inspected since then, yielding fines of almost $7 million.

Employers are required to complete and retain a Form I-9 for everyone they hire, and confirm their eligibility to work. Through the program called "ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers," employers can verify that newly hired employees may work in the United States. This Internet-based service is free to employers, and provides access to the Social Security Administration database and DHS immigration records.

Companies interested in more information can visit www.ice.gov/IMAGE.

Sex offenders paid to baby-sit

A watershed investigation from the Chicago Tribune has revealed that convicted rapists, molesters, and other violent felons were allowed to babysit children over the past decade, thanks to a government program. The state Department of Human Services is said to be responsible for not checking their employees close enough in a $750 million-a-year Child Care Assistance Program that subsidizes child care for more than 150,000 impoverished Illinois families.

A 2009 law enforced more scrupulous checks, but it took another 18 months to find the felons. Even now, critics are saying there are too many cracks in the system that allow in babysitters with questionable backgrounds. The state, for its part, has promised further investigation, and insists no one yet has been harmed.

Medical Center staffer accused of stealing over $250,000

Charged with 19 counts of felony theft, Elisha Gustav Lang has been accused of embezzling $252,000 from University of Washington Medical Center, where he was executive assistant until he was fired in 2010 after an internal audit found irregularities in his expenses. He is accused of charging personal expenses to the hospital, say court documents.

A search warrant on Lang's home revealed 74 items worth a total of $43,000. Lang admitted to the thefts some two days later, offering a written statement outlining his use of office credit cards for personal purchases such as electronics, furniture, art, food, airfare, lodging, and transportation unrelated to the university. The university, it was revealed, gave Lang complete control over the university credit cards, with no oversight.

He has not been jailed in the case.

Dating website will screen members for criminals

Match.com, a popular dating website, said it will be screening members for registered sex offenders. This comes seven months after a Los Angeles woman sued the website after she was sexually assaulted by a man she met via the site. It was later discovered he had six convictions for sexual battery. She contends the onus was on the website to screen its members for sex offenders. The woman agreed to drop the suit when Match.com agreed to search known databases for sex offenders.

Legal experts acknowledge the site's voluntary settlement, but fear if another attack occurs despite careful checks, Match.com may be responsible, and face a negligence claim. Incidents could include those who use fake names or have managed to hide criminal convictions. Match.com, however, offers the disclaimer that their checks are not foolproof and should not offer a false sense of security. On the other hand, the site may have given itself a leg up on its competitors, making its site a safer place to surf for dates.

Will restricting criminal background checks actually increase minority unemployment?

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is lobbying to restrict or eliminate criminal background checks, because it says they unfairly targets minorities who they say are likelier to have been convicted.

According to the group, African Americans and Latinos have higher arrest and conviction rates than Caucasians.

Panelists at a recent EEOC meeting included employment lawyers, academics, government experts, and employers with positive experiences in hiring individuals with criminal records. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, in contrast, cites a study saying criminal background checks are not discriminatory, and do not lead to fewer blacks being hired.

Poll reveals half of employers conduct drug tests

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) says that 57 percent of employers conduct drug tests on their potential employees, whereas 29 percent of employers never do testing. This survey was co-produced by the Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA), and said over two-thirds of companies who have done such testing have been doing them for approximately seven years.

The tendency is for employers to use these tests over the course of a long period of time. The survey indicated that employers saw increased productivity, less absenteeism, and fewer physical accidents once drug testing was implemented. Nearly 20 percent of companies said they saw an increase in productivity.

Background Checks Common for New Employees

The majority of retail stores use background checks when hiring new employees. Results of a survey by the National Retail Federation suggest that the extra step is important in customer security. Executives from a variety of retail operations completed the survey, which found that almost all - 97 percent - use background screenings.

About 60 percent of these checks include information such as credit history, criminal record history, car records, and education. The checks go back from five to seven years into an applicant's life. However, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is considering preventing companies from asking applicants about their criminal history.

Background checks common for higher positions

Almost half of organizations surveyed reported that they conduct background checks for potential employees in senior management positions. Specialized agencies are available for this task, which includes criminal record checks and confirming details from applications.

XpertHR's survey also found that most companies check up on candidates through their work or personal references. Half of employers use personality questionnaires. It takes on average 10 and a half weeks to fill a management position, and almost $10,000 in personnel and other costs. Background-checking and headhunting agencies cost between 15 and 24% of the position’s annual salary.

Credit Score unrelated to Behavior as an Employee

Potential employers can access, and do use, credit reports in choosing a candidate for a job; however, credit scores by themselves are not used. Researchers published in the Journal of Applied Psychology have found no link between a low credit score and being a bad employee, which suggests that the common practice of using credit history to evaluate future behavior on the job may be unhelpful.
For example, having a bad credit score does not suggest that a person is more likely to cheat their employer. Only banks used to use credit scores when deciding whether to loan money, but now insurance companies and employers may use the information.

Most store thefts are from employees

Forty-four percent of merchandise that is unaccounted for in stores in North America - that is, missing or stolen - is due to employee theft, according to a survey of retailers. The rate of lost merchandise, known as shrinkage in the industry, due to employees stealing has gone up in the last year. Other causes of lost goods include vendor fraud, errors, and accounting mistakes. Customer theft is the main cause of shrinkage in other countries.

In North America, employee-caused shrinkage costs retailers $47 billion. The second-highest cause here was shoplifting and organized crime. The survey found a link between higher theft and the use of seasonal and part-time employees who may have less interest in their employer. Thieving employees tend to steal almost five times as much as shoplifting customers steal.

Eye-opening statistics from 23rd Annual Retail Theft Survey

Shoplifting is down about 4% in the past year, but dishonest employees and shoplifters still stole more than $7 billion last year, from just 23 major retailers.

Jack L. Hayes International released these numbers from the 23rd Annual Retail Theft Survey. These 23 companies caught more than a million shoplifters and dishonest employees in 2010, recovering more than $148 million.

Based on about three million employees, the survey showed that about 3% of employees ended up stealing from a company. Roughly 6 times more is stolen from dishonest employees than shoplifters. For every dollar recovered, about $40 was lost to retail theft, says the survey. Jack L. Hayes International Inc. touts itself as the foremost loss prevention/inventory shrinkage control and safety consultants in the world.

Tenant/Landlord laws in need of repair in California

Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum is at the receiving end of landlord accusations, and like many others in his position, regardless of the outcome, his ability to find rental housing afterward may be compromised. The landlord accuses that the apartment was damaged, and items were stolen, causing $350,000 in damages. Notwithstanding, no other details, including photos, were submitted to the court. Moreover, no witnesses were used to corroborate the landlord's story.

The lawsuit will remain on file, even if Lincecum wins. Credit reporting agencies and tenant screening services will treat the case as the tenant's problem. In fact, as part of routine credit checks, credit reporting companies can find court records for landlords who are considering a tenant, and even a positive outcome for the tenant can be used against him. California state law says that credit reporting companies have a First Amendment right to report available court records. Win or lose a case, the tenant's court history is open to credit reporting agencies to use as they wish.

Criminal checks for affordable housing

Officials in Glendale, California, are deciding whether to run criminal background checks on the 4,400 current recipients of federal affordable housing vouchers. If current recipients are not complying with the voucher rules, and are removed from the list, this would help shorten the 5,700-person long waiting list for the program. The Mayor and City Council members agree that there are deserving people on the waiting list, and that there are likely law-breakers who would not qualify for the program.

A murderer, sitting in the electric chair, was about to be executed.
"Have you any last requests? asked the chaplain.
"Yes," replied the murderer. "Will you hold my hand?"