Okay, HR Departments and employment decision makers, are you
ready to squeeze more work onto your overflowing plate? Everyone
knows that the EEOC disfavors consideration of criminal history in
employment decisions. Last week, the EEOC issued 52 pages of "updated"
guidelines on the use of convictions and arrest records by
employers. The new guidelines fault the multi-billion dollar
background check industry for supposedly issuing incorrect and
incomplete reports on a frequent basis which disproportionately
impact minorities to their detriment. To counter these faulty
background checks, the new guidelines require employers to perform
a three-part "individual assessment" of criminal history
information for any individual.
Will the new "update" lead to a workforce filled with
criminals? Who knows what arresting developments will occur, but
surely the new guidelines will create more work for already
overloaded HR and personnel departments.
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