Social Media Background Checks: The 7 Commandments of Using Facebook in the Screening Process

We are inviting you to a special webinar entitled “Social Media Background Checks: The 7 Commandments of Using Facebook in the Screening Process”

Date: December 20th, 2011 Tuesday

Time: 2:00 PM EST until 3:00 PM EST

There have been many recent high-profile cases involving an increase in the restrictions put on Employer’s use of Social Media in Hiring and Screening, as well as Employer’s regulation and response to Employee Comments made on Social Media sites, such as Facebook. The NLRB has challenged as unlawful an employer’s discipline of an employee who made comments on a social media site. Whether you want to use sites like Facebook to screen out employees via a social media background check, or use social media sites to monitor your employee’s social media activity, discipline them for what they post, or simply maintain rules that arguably regulate employee conduct, all employers need to understand the evolving rules coming from the NLRB. Additionally, real world practical tips and insider secrets will be shared by Kevin Connell, a social media savvy background check expert. This webinar is a Pre-Approved HRCI Certified Webinar.

Register HERE for this Complimentary Webinar

4 Highly Effective Ways To Reduce Workplace Violence

Workplace violence is an important issue to be trained on in case it happens in your workplace. Workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against workers. It can occur inside or outside the workplace and can range from verbal threats and abuses to physical assaults, as severe as homicide. However it happens, workplace violence is a growing concern for employers and employees nationwide and abroad.

Companies should have a major focus on reducing and, ideally, eliminating, workplace violence. According to the Department of Labor (DOL), “Violence in the workplace is a serious safety and health issue. Its most extreme form, homicide, is the fourth-leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States.” This statistic is both staggering and crucial to change for the safety of all.

While not all incidents can be prevented, employers can take the following steps to greatly reduce the chances of their employees becoming victims or offenders of crime.

Firstly, make professional pre-employment background screening a mandatory step in the hiring process. Use a professional and experienced company such as Accu-Screen.com. Having a deeper knowledge of the background of employees that are working for you is important in reducing problems that can lead to workplace violence. A careful, thorough employee background screening including record searches for both criminal records and substance abuse can reveal many inconsistencies. Employers need to be aware for this information to try and protect their workplace. It is the responsibility and duty of an employer to make sure that only qualified, safe employees are hired.

Secondly, employers should establish a zero-tolerance policy toward any type of workplace violence against or by their employees. This includes both physical and verbal violence. The employer should set up a workplace violence prevention program or include the information into an existing accident prevention program, manual of standard operating procedures or employee handbook. It is critical to ensure that all employees know the policy and understand that all claims of workplace violence will be investigated and remedied promptly.

Thirdly, intervention should be taken immediately if any workplace violence is seen or reported. Intervention is some type of action taken to break up a situation. This is not the time to make final judgment or to administer final discipline, rather, simply focus on diffusing the initial situation. Once the parties have calmed down there will be an opportunity to thoroughly review options for resolution. Intervention often sets the tone for how the situation will be resolved, and thus, it must be handled very carefully. Most employers should have some type of Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in place, which they can refer employees to. Depending on the situation, having an empathetic attitude while clearly informing an employee that violence will not be tolerated is one of the best ways to approach intervention.

Lastly, as an employer, be prepared to be involved and respond to each workplace violence situation. Although some acts of violence can be prevented, there is no way to guarantee against a violent incident. It is for this reason that employers need to be prepared to respond in such a way as to contain the harm, protect lives and property, prevent panic and take control of the situation as quickly as possible. Coincidently, every company and each department should have an established system or procedure to notify all personnel of a dangerous situation or incident in case they need to be evacuated from the building quickly. Of course, good judgment is key. Do not attempt to handle a violent situation yourself and dial 911 immediately!

A Life That Could Have Been Saved By a Background Check.

Alexandra Zapp was just 30 years old the night convicted sex offender, Paul Leahy, took her life. Alexandra, or “Ally” as those who knew her called her, was on her way home from a charity sunset cruise when she decided to stop at a Burger King at a rest stop in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. It was after midnight, but before leaving the Burger King to continue on her way home, Ally used the restroom. As she exited the restroom, she was met by Paul Leahy. Leahy, 39, and more than twice Ally’s size, pushed her back into the restroom.

The carnage, discovered by an off-duty police officer who happened to be using the men’s room at the time, was hard to believe. Ally had been stabbed six times in the neck, another six times in the chest, and once in the chin. Leahy also sliced her arms, wrist, and one of her hands. He then discarded her in one of the stalls, blood pooling around her body. When off-duty state police Lieutenant opened the ladies room door, investigating the sounds of Ally’s scuffle with her attacker, he found Leahy at the sink. Leahy’s only words were “I lost it.”

Leahy worked at the Burger King Ally stopped at that night. Neither the night manager at the restaurant, and certainly not Ally herself, knew that Leahy was a repeat sex offender with more than 24 convictions under his belt. His convictions included rape, kidnapping, drug possession, breaking and entering, theft, drunk driving, assault, and more. Although prosecutors tried to have Leahy locked up as a dangerous sexual predator, the legal system had other plans. As a convicted sex offender, Leahy was required to register with the Sex Offender Registry Board, but only about 1,000 of the more than 18,000 convicted sex offenders who were required to do so at the time actually did. The state’s record of monitoring sex offenders was even worse. Leahy, like many sex offenders, lived unsupervised, untreated, and free to commit more crimes.

That night, July 17, 2002, should serve as a lesson to anyone who believes that they are safe within the confines of a business. Ally’s murder highlights not only the failure of the legal system to monitor and police dangerous offenders, it also stands as a prime example for employers who may be liable for the crimes their workers commit.

There is little doubt that Burger King would have liked to have avoided the liability and the negative publicity that Leahy’s crime brought. Ally fought hard against her attacker. She bit Leahy’s fingers, head-butted him, kicked, clawed, screamed, and scratched. In the end, it was Leahy who won that particular battle as he had so many times before with victims as young as 13.

Employers also need to fight hard; taking measures that ensure that the employees they hire are not only safe to work with but who also promote an environment that is safe for their customers. There’s no doubt that a solid employer background check policy would have prevented Ally’s death.

Human Resource Managers Must Be Vigilant When Doing Seasonal Hiring: “Resume Lies and Embezzlement are on the Rise,” says Accu-Screen

Major retailers and other corporations are gearing up for the all-important holiday shopping season. Amid growing worries about stagnant holiday sales and signs of a recession, companies are still hiring seasonal employees. In their hurry to hire temporary workers, however, many companies run an increased risk of employee fraud, embezzlement and other crimes.

Accu-Screen, a leader in employment background screening, has found that employee theft and fraud tend to increase in a rocky economy. Accu-screen frequently conducts criminal and sexual offender background checks for retail chains and malls that are hiring seasonal employees.

“In uncertain economic times, more employees are giving themselves a ‘five-finger bonus,’” says Kevin Connell, chief executive officer and founder of Accu-Screen. “I’ve seen numerous recent cases of people who’ve decided to get a salary increase by stealing from their employers.”

Connell advises hiring managers and others to be on their guard when evaluating prospective employees. They should avoid giving in to the temptation to hire in haste, since they’re likely to repent at leisure, Connell says.

Some high-profile cases of seasonal crimes include:

* A New Jersey con man stole $200,000 from eight companies in four states. He repeatedly got hired as a store manager, worked for a few days or weeks, then disappeared with the cash receipts.

* Three Nordstrom’s security employees and a “secret shopper” were arrested for taking part in a retail theft ring that stole store merchandise valued at $62,000.

* An actor who worked as a mall Santa was arrested by Interpol for producing child pornography and abusing young boys.

Many of these employees looked good on paper, but were hiding a criminal record, false identity or a checkered employment history. Connell has noticed an upswing in people who are lying on their resumes this year. He saw the same pattern during the economic downturns in the late 1990s and after September 11th, 2001.

“It’s frightening how much damage a bad or dishonest employee can do in their first thirty days on the job,” Connell says. He recommends that employers protect themselves by doing background screenings of prospective and current employees.