NAPBS Conference Recap

The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) recently held its annual conference in Baltimore, Maryland. With the tagline “Passport to the World” this conference featured a wide array of speakers covering diverse topics impacting background screening domestically and internationally.

As a member of the NAPBS Board of Directors, I had the privilege of attending the conference along with several of my Asurint colleagues. There were three key takeaways I thought were worth sharing: (1) Generation & Communication Gaps in the Workplace, (2) Litigation Hot Topics and (3) Global Expansion of Screening.

Generation & Communication Gaps in the Workplace

Matt Beaudreau with the Center for Generational Kinetics kicked off the conference with an informative – and humorous – keynote address focused on the communication gaps between generations. As millennials are the fastest growing segment of the marketplace, a large portion of the address focused on communication tips to better connect millennials within the workplace. Matt’s tips included: (i) focusing on visual learning, (ii) modifying communication styles to accommodate things like texting and email versus phone calls, (iii) humanizing your organization to build trust and (iv) rethinking the onboarding process to make individuals feel more welcome.

Matt shared a lot more information and we’d highly recommend checking out the Center of Generational Kinetics’ website for more information including a blog and reports you can download.

Litigation Hot Topics

Litigation continues to spread hitting employers of all sizes and industries. Plaintiff’s attorneys are focused on two key areas that end users (you as the employer) must get right:

• Disclosure and authorization: Also known as a consent form, the language in your disclosure is critical as this is the most common lawsuit filed against employers. Check out this post from our new blog for more information about this requirement and recent settlement examples.
• Adverse action: If you are thinking about making an adverse decision based on any aspect of the background report (and yes, this does mean more than just the criminal search!) you must follow the two-step adverse action process. Here’s a post with more information about this requirement.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve had your forms and processes reviewed, we recommend engaging qualified legal counsel. A little investment now may go a long way to protecting your organization later.

Global Expansion of Screening

As technology expands, the world shrinks. You also don’t have to venture outside of the United States to start feeling the influence of other regions. For example, California’s new data privacy law is modeled off the General Data Protection Regulation that recently took effect in the European Union.

The spread of international background screening is reaching small to midsize employers as well as talent starts to come from more corners of the globe. If you’re new to screening outside of the United States, it can certainly seem like a confusing and complicated landscape. For starters, did you know that a consent form designed to meet the Fair Credit Reporting Act’s requirements may not be appropriate for screening in Canada? If you didn’t, don’t fret – we’re here to help! Simply reach out and we’ll send you educational information on whatever question you may have.

Every day we strive to be better keeping our focus on compliance, technology and service. We know that there are a lot of screening providers out there, but if you ever have questions, please feel free to reach out to us and find out more about Asurint's innovative background screening services and how we can help you today!