August 2023
The Work Number’s fee goes up. Again.
If you are familiar with The Work Number, chances are you are well aware that the price has been raised several times in the last five years. We are the bearers of bad news: the price has increased once again. While you may have been used to paying $88.10 when accessing employment information stored in The Work Number, the new fee is $109.00, effective August 31st, 2023. If you are compliant with the requirements for The Work Number and have been actively utilizing the third party for employment verifications through Atlantic, our investigations team will be reaching out for your approval of the new fee. If you have any questions, please reach out directly to our office.
New report addresses second chance employment and biases concerning hiring people with conviction records.
The last few years have left HR to find the right candidates to fill open positions quickly. With more jobs open than applicants looking to apply, talent acquisition was encouraged to look out their normal candidate pools for prospective employees they may not have normally glanced at before. The Legal Action Center and National Workrights Institute came together to release a report regarding concerns of hiring people with conviction records and, in particular, the liability associated with such an action.
With ban-the-box laws and fair chance hiring on the rise, plenty of employers have shifted gears to widen their hiring pool. Increased risk of liability may only exist in a small number of specific jobs, and thorough background checks can likely mitigate that risk. To read the report in its entirety, click here.
Does your company need to disclose pay ranges?
In hopes of addressing pay inequity, many localities and states are requiring employers to disclose pay ranges. This new front has developed throughout the years, usually stemming from legislation that requires disclosure about expected pay by employers. HR Dive has created a tracker for pay transparency to ensure that you and your team are aligning with the latest updates to stay compliant. Many of these changes have occurred in the last year or may be occurring in the next year, so we implore your team to stay up-to-date!
Social media screening continues to gain traction among employers.
In the last few years, many reports have come out that point to the vast majority of the population having some footprint in social media. (Especially as the workforce gets younger – it’s undeniable.) According to Business News Daily, the overwhelming majority (70%) believe every company should be screening candidates’ social media. Ten years ago, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) confirmed social media screening is just another part of a consumer report, which means that it falls under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This means you can’t scroll on Twitter during lunch, trying to find suspicious tweets from your latest applicant.
Using a third-party source guarantees you are getting certified results from trained analysts, with personal and protected information redacted: you’ll only receive results of flagged content belonging to the candidate. This way, it’s easy to order with just a click of a button, all while avoiding the chance of a potential lawsuit by using a third party to do the screening for you. Interested in learning how it works? Read our in-depth article about social media screening here.
