From Bad Hire Days- 26-year-old’s resume is too good to be true March 18, 2013Antoine Flowers was hired by the City of Dallas as an IT manager. His resume was certainly impressive for any IT professional, much less a 26 year old. According to the Dallas Morning News, Flowers’ resume included claims that he had:Promising candidate… if any of it were true. Apparently, the City of Dallas is very […]Mike Coffey
- Video: Sears sends felon and stalker into woman’s home November 7, 2011Jason Meinke was employed by a Sears contractor and sent into homes to clean ducts despite his criminal history that included misdemeanor and felony convictions, including a felony aggravated stalking conviction. When he was sent to clean Carrie Smith’s air ducts, she says her nightmare started, as reported by Scott Lewis of Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ […]Mike Coffey
- Fake Degree Precedes $1 Million Fraud September 25, 2011Not all bad hire days start with previously-convicted dishonest job seekers. Morgan County, Utah apparently thought they were hiring a qualified public administration expert when they hired Garth Day as their council administrator. According to the Standard-Examiner, Day’s 2008 resume reflected that he had a Bachelor of Science degree in political science/pu […]Mike Coffey
- Bad Background Check and Lax Credit Card and Expense Account Controls Lead to Embezzlement September 10, 2011In my presentations to SHRM chapters, churches and non-profits, and basically anyone who needs a good nap after lunch, I regularly warn that even great background checks typically only catch the low-hanging fruit (those whose past offenses have been discovered by employers or law enforcement) and it is important to to have all of your […]Mike Coffey
- Two Employers, Two Victims, Two Convictions for Computer “Guru” August 29, 2011Stephen Robertson, a self-described computer “guru”, could be the poster boy for Bad Hire Days. Robertson worked for Corgan Associates, a Dallas architecture and interior design firm, and was terminated on December 18, 1998 for “theft, dishonesty, and misuse of the company’s computer system to hack into other companies’ computers,” according to documents fil […]Mike Coffey
- Son Learns that Mother’s Caregiver Has Elderly Mistreatment Conviction August 18, 2011When his 92-year-old mother needed an in-home caregiver, Richard Laughlin relied on a recommendation from a trusted friend and hired Teresita Lee. What he did not know was that Lee had a long criminal history including multiple thefts and a recent conviction for mistreating another elderly person to whom she was supposed to be providing […]Mike Coffey
- Sex Offender Caught Working As Cookie Monster August 15, 2011QC Characters is (was) a new business startup in Iowa that hoped to provide actors dressed as popular children’s characters for parties and special events. Unfortunately, one of QC Character’s first hires was James Lester Rogers. The company sent Rogers dressed as the Sesame Street character called Cookie Monster to the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds to [... […]Mike Coffey
- Cook County Welfare Director convicted of government theft – AGAIN?! August 8, 2011Aurea Picasso, the former Welfare Director of Hanover Township (Cook County, Illinois) pleaded guilty on August 3, 2011 to stealing more than $193,110 in funds for dental work, car insurance, cell phones and her daughter’s Sweet 16 birthday party. She was sentenced to six years in prison. This wasn’t, however, Picasso’s first felony conviction. In 2003, [... […]Mike Coffey
- Sex offender assigned to Alzheimer’s care facility April 26, 2011Michael Gilbert is a registered sex offender convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child (12 year old female) and was released from parole in August 2005. (He was also on federal parole for issuing “false distress signals” – he was apparently trying to fake his own death at sea in an attempt to escape […]Mike Coffey
- No Background Check for Accused Sex Offender Working at Lufkin Apartment Complex January 21, 2011Had the owners of the Acadia Arms Apartments in Lufkin, Texas completed a background check on Jose Diaz before hiring him as a handyman, they would have learned that he has convictions for driving while intoxicated, driving while his license was suspended, and a felony conviction for possession of cocaine for which he spent eleven […]Mike Coffey
- 26-year-old’s resume is too good to be true March 18, 2013
- From Imperative Information Group
- Mike Coffey to speak at HR Southwest 2013 April 23, 2013Yay! I’m speaking to HR Southwest again this year! I’ll be delivering my ever-evolving Background Checks Under Fire: Policy Considerations to Avoid Discrimination Claims presentation on Tuesday, October 22nd at 3:15. It was standing room only when I made the earlier iteration of the presentation last year. […]Mike Coffey
- 7th Circuit Decision Points to the Importance of HR Due Diligence in Mergers and Acquisitions April 23, 2013The recent decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Teed v. Thomas & Betts Power Solutions, LLC, holding that a successor company may be held liable for its predecessor’s violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, serves as a cautionary tale to […]Mike Coffey
- Four Reasons You May Not Want to Look at Your Applicants’ Credit Reports April 19, 2013The New York City Council is considering a proposal to significantly limit employers’ use of credit reports. If the Proposal becomes law, it would join a growing number of laws and proposed laws to limit employment discrimination on the basis of credit history. Indeed, eight states have […]Mike Coffey
- Texas Bill Mandates Accuracy and Consumer Protection in Criminal History Background Checks April 17, 2013Texas Senator Royce West introduced Senate Bill 990 in response to constituent complaints that they were being denied employment and housing based upon erroneous criminal history information. In particular, expunged records often continue to be reported by private database companies long after the record has been removed […]Mike Coffey
- Mike Coffey to speak at the Employment Relations Symposium, July 17-19, 2013 April 10, 2013Texas Association of Business and SHRM – Texas State Council bring you the annual Employment Relations Symposium. The program focuses on the latest in laws and policies for the HR professional and is presented by experts in HR law. Imperative Information Group President Mike Coffey, SPHR will […]Mike Coffey
- Domino’s Pizza agrees to pay $2.5M for FCRA violations March 28, 2013Domino’s Pizza has agreed to settle a federal class action lawsuit related to its background screening process for $2.5 million. The plaintiffs in Adrian Singleton, et al vs. Domino’s Pizza, LLC alleged two significant Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) violations: Inclusion of a limitation of liability in […]Mike Coffey
- Texas Employer Alert: House Bill Seeks To Hide One-Third of Criminal Records From Employers March 6, 2013Texas House Bill 321 will make it illegal for employers to consider important and relevant information about an individual’s past criminal conduct. HB 321 would prohibit using a completed deferred adjudication sentence in “denying housing, employment, or a professional license to an individual who is otherwise entitled to or […]Mike Coffey
- Federal Court Rejects ADA Suit Over Random Alcohol Testing of Probationary Plant Employees February 25, 2013Yet another hair-brained suit by the EEOC gets batted down by the courts. A federal judge in Pennsylvania has dismissed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission challenge to U.S. Steel Corporation’s random alcohol testing of probationary employees at one of the company’s most safety sensitive facilities. The Court’s […]Mike Coffey
- Five Benchmarks of an Effective Background Screening Program February 18, 2013Given the heightened scrutiny of employers’ background screening practices, employers should review their practices and policies to ensure legal compliance. However, compliance doesn’t ensure that a background screening practice is effective. There are five key components of an effective background screening program. Fair. The Equal Employment Opportunity [. […]Mike Coffey
- The Legal & Regulatory Landscape for Employment Background Screening February 8, 2013Employers’ use of background investigations, particularly criminal record information, is under scrutiny and, in some cases, restriction from all levels of government. This recent attention is driven by four main concerns: Continued high rates of unemployment among previous criminal offenders, which many believe increases former offenders’ likelihood […]Mike Coffey
- Mike Coffey to speak at HR Southwest 2013 April 23, 2013
Tag Archives: Facebook
Surprise! You Can Use Facebook For Caller ID
You can search for people’s identities there by phone number. Searching my phone number at right, for example, yields a link to my profile. That’s despite the fact that, in my privacy settings, I have set my mobile number to … Continue reading
Medic Properly Fired for Work Rant on Facebook
In the initial post that drew concern, CareFlight paramedic Janis Roberts had complaint to a fellow CareFlight paramedic about an apparently unruly patient who needed restrains. Roberts had said that she wanted to slap the patient. The paramedic co-worker had … Continue reading
Posted in Foat Wuth, Human Resources, Social Media
Tagged careflight, Facebook, national labor relati
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The Downside Of Being A Google Executive
Google — and companies like Twitter and Facebook — are increasingly seen as “controlling” the Web and how information gets distributed there, and so they become the targets of frustration when things we don’t like appear online. Separately from the electoral case that … Continue reading
Posted in International News, Social Media
Tagged Facebook, Forbes, Google, Kashmir Hill, twitter
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A Chicago Court’s Painful Attempt To Quash The Social Media Revolution – Forbes
Enter this as another painful attempt by the courts to keep social networking from interfering with court proceedings. The courts are doing their best to pretend the Internet doesn’t exist, and to preserve the existence of a pre-digital age justice … Continue reading
Facebook to Buy Instagram for $1 Billion in Cash, Stock
Best comment on this article: Steve Jobs Mom wrote : Great so now even more people will be adding the 70′s filter to their digital photos.. it never get’s old… …. …. Facebook to Buy Instagram for $1 Billion in … Continue reading
Though Not Yet Banned, Requiring Social Media Information Is a Bad Idea
Another hot topic in the intersection of the workplace and social media that Julie Ross and I will be covering during our ELU presentation on April 19th. So far, few courts have issued decisions that provide any guidance about the … Continue reading
Employee fired after suicidal Facebook message is going to trial
Perhaps it is better to be ignorant of your employees’ personal lives and not be their friends on Facebook. (Hint: This is a topic that Julie Ross, JD and I will be making at FWHRMA’s Employment Law Update on April … Continue reading
Posted in Discrimination, Human Resources, Social Media
Tagged Americans With Disabilities Act, Facebook, JD, Julie Ross
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Maryland House Approves Employer Password Request Ban
The Maryland House of Delegates has approved a ban on employers requiring applicants to provide passwords to social media and email accounts. (Be sure to listen to the audio interview.) Update: House Approves Employer Password Request Ban | Baltimore News … Continue reading
Posted in Background Checks, Social Media, Technology
Tagged background checks, employment, Facebook
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Maybe not all “shoulder surfing” is bad
According to TV station WAVY, the Virginia State Police requires applicants to log into their social media accounts and then a VSP representive reviews their content (called “shoulder surfing”). The ACLU is challenging the practice. There are employers who, when hiring … Continue reading
Posted in Background Checks, Human Resources, Social Media
Tagged background checks, discrimination, EEOC, Facebook
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Employment Background Checks: How Far Is Too Far? : NPR
This is a transcript of Neal Conan’s interview with Caleb Garling of Wired and Steven Kane of Kane Partners about the use of social media in conducting background checks, particularly the rare but sensational request for applicants’ Facebook passwords. Excerpt: … Continue reading
Posted in Background Checks, Politics, Social Media, Technology
Tagged background checks, discrimination, EEOC, Facebook, npr
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