REDDING, CA (May 2, 2011)—On the surface, a screening policy seems fairly straightforward. Screen all applicants for criminal convictions or other red flags and do not hire those that would put your organization at risk.

This premise is simple, but the rules surrounding pre-employment screening are not so intuitive. Furthermore, the ramifications of not following these rules may lead to financial catastrophe, as evidenced by the recent preliminary court approval of a nearly $6 million dollar settlement in a class action suit. “Compliance with FCRA requires implementing proper procedures during the hiring process and consistently following the set process”, said Alva Cross, Associate at Fisher & Phillips (www.LaborLawyers.com).

The plaintiffs in this suit brought charges for two violations of the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

1. The employer did not provide appropriate disclosures to job applicants before conducting pre-employment screening and background checks.
2. The employer did not follow a required "adverse action process" upon denying the plaintiffs employment due to red flags in the criminal background reports.

The Federal FCRA documents that lay the groundwork for the class action suit may be found here: http://www.pre-employ.com/FCRASettlement. Under FCRA rules, if a business is willfully non-compliant it may be liable for statutory damages of up to $1,000 per violation, attorney's fees, and worst of all, unlimited punitive damages. Even negligent non-compliance, which does not demand statutory damages, will still leave a business liable for actual damages, attorney's fees and unlimited punitive damages.

In this case, the backgrounds of approximately 143,000 applicants were screened over a period of time. If the preliminary settlement holds in an August ruling, which it is currently likely to do, all of these applicants will share in the $6 million settlement.

As industry experts, Pre-employ.com is now offering a free guide for businesses, "Top 5 Tips to Avoid FCRA Non-Compliance" here: http://www.pre-employ.com/5Tips

Whether or not you are an existing client of Pre-employ.com, we encourage you to consult with us for a free analysis here: http://www.pre-employ.com/quote. Many states have screening laws that can be confusing, and how these regulations relate to federal laws such as the ones employed in the above case is never clear. We can help you figure out your screening process through careful, yearly analysis.

For More Information Contact:
Amanda Zuidema
Director, Public Relations
Pre-employ.com, Inc.
(800) 300-1821 ext. 210
amandaz@pre-employ.com

*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!

REDDING, CA (April 20, 2011)—Although seemingly daunting, obviously controversial and somewhat confusing for Georgia Employers, House Bill 87 is not difficult to comply with. Employers can either utilize the government website (http://www.uscis.gov) or through free service companies like I-9Compliance.com that offer added benefits (electronic storage, wizard based data entry and pre-populated letters for example).

Both solutions are free.

HB87 mandates that companies with more than 10 full-time employees register with the federal E-Verify program to check the legal status of new hires and creates the offense of "aggravated identity theft" for the use of false information.

I-9Compliance.com offers a free E-Verify integration and electronic storage of all I9 Forms for all clients of their national organization.

"Our business model has changed over the years to offer as many free services as possible to employers. In today's economy, employers must scrutinize all expenditures closely to ensure they are not paying too much or in this case, paying for a service that is free. After a substantial acquisition and investment in software, we are proud to be able to offer this service at no charge to our clients." said Robert Mather, CEO of Pre-Employ.com, Inc (parent company of i9Compliance.com). "We process over 10,000 requests a day for consumers or employers, a high percentage for no fee".

A free tutorial is available on the website: http://www.i-9compliance.com

Since 1994 Pre-employ.com has been a national leader in HR Services. With a "go to market strategy" that focuses on free programs combined with price match guarantees on fee-based services. Pre-employ.com has become the partner of choice for thousands employers of all sizes. Some of the programs offered include: Background Check Services, Drug Testing, Unemployment Claims Management, Fingerprinting, Former Employee Payroll Verification Services and more.

For More Information Contact:
Amanda Zuidema
Director, Public Relations
Pre-employ.com, Inc.
(800) 300-1821 ext. 210
amandaz@pre-employ.com

*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!

REDDING CA, November 16, 2010 – Pre-employ.com a leading provider of outsourced HR, onboarding, screening and post-employee relationship services has been named to the HRO Today magazine's 2010 Baker’s Dozen: Top Screening and Assessment Providers. This prestigious award is considered the gold standard in Human Resource Outsourcing programs and services. It designates leadership within an industry with over 2000 competitors.

The rankings contained within the Baker’s Dozen for Screening and Assessment, and other service areas in HRO Today are based on customer survey data. The indices result from a multi-step process. HRO Today identified the top screening and assessment providers. The survey research team asked providers to identify customers to be surveyed. Using the HRO Today database, HRO Today identified other buyers to survey. Each respondent was asked about services provided, scope and scale of services, and the quality and satisfaction with the services.

Respondents provide e-mail addresses for verification, but responses are kept in strictest confidence. Once collected, information was loaded into the HRO Today database and analyzed to score each provider having a statistically significant sample. The rankings are based on point assignments and weightings of questions—plus a predetermined algorithm that calculates the overall score based on breadth, scope and scale, and quality. Rankings and weightings are determined statistically, and all feedback is from customers.

Key attributes of Pre-employ.com’s outsourcing solution that contribute to its number one ranking are:

• Cost savings and increased HR efficiency
• Accuracy and timeliness of outsourced HR processes, which allows clients to focus on running their businesses
• Ability to manage the Screening and On-Boarding process for work-at home or contingent workforce
• Employee service quality and responsiveness as measured by average speed to answer and call abandonment
• Reduction and Elimination of transactional work from HR organizations, freeing them to focus efforts on strategic goals and initiatives
• Deployment of common processes and practices to employees in all geographies and centralization of operations
• Better service delivery to employees, improved HR efficiency
• Insight into total organizational (local-to-global) labor costs and productivity, which improves Screening workforce and talent management practices

“Pre-Employ.com is proud to have this tremendous vote of confidence from the users of our HRO solutions,” said Robert Mather, CEO of Pre-employ.com Inc. “Today’s HR leaders are looking for proven methods that reduce costs, improve service, and deliver the efficiency and specialization they need to manage their businesses better. With our multi-service focus, Pre-employ.com is leading the industry in delivering these solutions”.

Pre-employ.com and its family of companies, including MyBackgroundCheck.com, Past-employ.com and I-9Compliance.com, provide background screening and human resource solutions for individuals and businesses alike.

*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!

Redding, CA, October 15, 2010 — For more than 15 years Pre-employ.com has long been established as a leader of the background screening industry: This month, the company welcomes Phillip A. Smith—an accomplished professional with extensive industry experience—to the role of President.

“I am looking forward to joining the Pre-employ.com team and to working with its outstanding group of professionals,” said Smith. “This is an exciting organization and I expect that we will continue to accomplish great things.”

Smith will assume the role of President and will oversee a variety of ongoing initiatives, within all service suites and divisions. “We are thrilled that Phil is joining the executive team at Pre-employ.com,” said Robert Mather, founder and CEO. “This is an exciting era for our industry. Our business is poised for extraordinary growth, and we are pleased to have Phil’s outstanding leadership to help us oversee that growth.”

Smith brings with him a wealth of experience—a licensed private investigator, he has served in the background screening and human resources outsourcing industries for nearly 15 years. His previous positions include; Chief Executive Officer at USA-FACT , Chief Operating Officer, Background Screening at Kroll Background Screening and Chief Executive Officer at InfoLink Screening Services. He received a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University.

“I am confident that Phil’s leadership will have a powerful impact on our organization,” added Mather. “As we continue to move forward and implement industry leading programs and initiatives, Phil will play an integral part in that success. The future looks very bright for Pre-employ.com, its employees and its customers.”

Pre-employ.com and its family of companies, including MyBackgroundCheck.com, Past-employ.com and I-9Compliance.com, provide background screening and human resource solutions for individuals and businesses alike.

*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!

Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Government Contractors (NAGC) announces a new partnership with I-9Compliance.com to provide employment eligibility verification features, including: instant I-9 entry validation, duplication alerts, audit logs, tentative non-confirmation compliance, digital Form I-9 storage, automated expiration notices, printable PDFs and many other features not found in paper based and E-verify systems.

“We're very excited about this new partnership, because we know how critical it is for employers in the government contracting industry to be in full compliance to avoid fines,” said Simon Brody, director of communications for NAGC. “And it's important for us to know we have a partner who can provide a reliable service to our members at a reasonable price.”

This employment eligibility verification service offers the following customized I-9 Compliance solutions to fit members' needs:

• Wizard-based Entry
• Secure Electronic Authorization
• Instant Results
• Electronic Forms

“We are committed to our partnerships and will provide association members a cost savings and better value overall,” said Richard Flaherty, Executive Vice President. “With possible criminal charges and fines, you just can't afford to put your business at risk anymore.”

NAGC is offering a Free On-Demand Webinar: E-Verify & Federal Contractors: Know The Facts. Members will learn how to:

• Maintain full I-9/E-Verify compliance
• Reduce liability & eliminate errors
• Ensure a legal workforce
• Avoid audits that can lead to fines, penalties and jail

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About The National Association of Government Contractors (NAGC)
The National Association of Government Contractors (NAGC) was started in 1957 by a coalition of small business owners in response to the growing government procurement industry and a desire to build upon the focus on government contracting created by the President's Committee on Government Contracts. Since its founding, NAGC has developed from an advocacy organization into an association providing advocacy, education, business development and services to member companies.

About I-9Compliance.com
I-9Compliance.com delivers a web based solution that standardizes error free processes across your locations, and provides the visibility and reporting needed to manage the program with confidence. A designated E-Verify agent, I-9Compliance.com is pre-integrated with the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify system providing real time confirmation and much more.

*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!