Ban-The-Box Milestone in Review: Employers Should Keep Working with Background Screening Agencies; Opines CriminalBackgroundRecords.com
With the milestone of 20 years since the initial Ban-the-Box initiative in Hawaii reflection suggests that the policy has been successful in equalizing employment opportunity by banning the question of criminal history from the initial job application. Adam Almeida, President and CEO of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com suggests: "The downside of this success with Ban-the-Box legislation is the creation of a multitude of differing laws and suggests that companies and hiring managers work with a well-qualified third-party pre-employment background screening agency to help clear up the confusion.
WALTHAM, Mass., Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In 1998 Hawaii initiated the original Ban-the-Box legislation and twenty years later the initiative has successfully spread across the country to a wide number of municipalities and states, but while there has been success a mish-mash of laws may create considerable confusion within companies looking to hire. Adam Almeida, President and CEO of CriminalBackgroundRecords.com opines: "With the marking of the 20 year anniversary of Ban-the-Box legislation a best practice remains to work with a well-qualified third-party pre-employment background screening agency."
Ban-the-Box policies work to provide an equal opportunity of employment across a broad range of classes, including and, primarily, specific to those with criminal background records. By removing the question of criminal history from the initial application the opportunity for employment based on an equal initial standing is greatly improved.
From FastCompany.com (Nov. 15, 18):
In the United States, around 70 million men and women have a criminal record. They often struggle to find work: Only around 12% of employers say they would voluntarily hire someone with a record, and three out of four people recently released from prison don't secure work within their first year out.
One of the most visible ways to address this dilemma was the Ban the Box movement, which emerged from a grassroots organizing campaign by All of Us or None in 2004. It calls for the removal of the section on many job applications that asks if the applicant has a criminal record (the "box" is the box you check to indicate you do). The BTB movement aimed to remove one of the most significant roadblocks to employment for people who have interacted with the justice system: Having to report their past on an application, before they even can secure an interview. (1)
Almeida adds: "Working with a professional background screening agency will greatly assist companies and organizations stay fully compliant with existing Ban-the-Box legislation in all its varying forms."
But as each jurisdiction creates Ban-the-Box legislation the laws remain subtly different from other laws in other municipalities or states thereby creating the opportunity for considerable confusion.
From SHRM, the world's largest Human Resources professional society, discussing the challenges of multiple laws: (Nov. 12, 18)
With no federal ban-the-box statute applicable to private employers, companies that hire for positions around the country must comply with a hodgepodge of requirements across states and even localities.
"It is challenging for large, multistate employers to navigate myriad ordinances," Bachman said. "If they do ask for criminal histories, do they use one application for the whole country and a separate one for Rochester, N.Y.? What about Boston? Or Austin? How do they ensure a consistent, compliant process?" (2)
Almeida concludes: "In the end, all businesses and organizations should work with a well-qualified third-party pre-employment background screening agency in order to remain fully compliant with existing and potential law."
CriminalBackgroundRecords.com is a third-party background screening company that can provide compliant solutions for all screening requirements. From pre-employment to post-hire screening, as well as volunteer, caregiver and nanny checks, CriminalBackgroundRecords.com provides background screening services across a broad array of industries. From the smallest organization to the largest corporation, CriminalBackgroundRecords.com can fulfill every background screening requirement
Notes
(1) fastcompany.com/90267016/how-the-ban-the-box-movement-has-helped-and-hurt-the-job-prospects-of-people-with-criminal-records
(2) shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/ban-the-box-turns-20-what-employers-need-to-know.aspx
SOURCE CriminalBackgroundRecords.com
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