HR Articles

Background Checks Ordered by New York Governor

One state governor is taking the status of employees seriously and ordering background checks for all of his workers.

New York Gov. David Paterson recently ordered background checks for all executive chamber employees after learning a check had not been completed on his chief of staff, who has been accused of failing to pay taxes. According to an article by the Associated Press, 60 percent of executive chamber employees haven't undergone completed background checks, and some materials employees previously submitted for checks has been lost.

Although not required by law, the background checks were started by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and never completed. The checks were specifically designed to discover and avoid any conflicts of interest, as an employee could lose his or her job if the background check discovered a conflict or some other major problem, such as a felony conviction, that the employee didn't report to the governor.

A background check had not been completed on Paterson's chief of staff, Charles O'Byrne, who failed to pay nearly $300,000 in taxes from 2001-2005.

O'Byrne claimed he informed Paterson of the tax debt and that he was suffering from depression in 2004 and again in 2007, and a letter addressed from O'Byrne to Paterson dated Jan. 28, 2007, was recently released. O'Byrne has since paid the back taxes with penalties and interest.

"I suffered from and have been treated for depression and, among other problems, I fell behind in taking care of my taxes," O'Byrne said in the letter. "I have spoken to the lieutenant governor about this and I am in the process of resolving the problem by completing and filing the forms and paying what I owe once I understand interests and penalties that will apply.

"I would be grateful if you would treat this information with some sensitivity as my staff does not know of my illness," he continued.

Cleveland Education Jobs On Verge of Being Cut

Many Cleveland education jobs may soon be cut.

Cleveland school officials speculate that they will have to cut $18 million from their budget, potentially reducing 5,200 Cleveland jobs. Chief Executive Officer Eugene Sanders reported that even if state funding continues at the same level, the district may have to narrow its programs and close schools because expenses continue to rise, taxes have become more difficult to collect and schools are losing students. The company will most likely have layoffs, but the amount will depend on how many people retire and the final deficit numbers.

"If 85 percent of your budget is people, I think that speaks for itself, " Sanders said.

Approving a property tax for operating expenses is one of the tasks on the agenda for the district, which would be the first boost for operations in more than 10 years.

James Fortlage, school district financial head, told the school board that the five-year projected budget is extremely uncertain. Though run by private corporations, charter schools take a portion of this money, since they are nevertheless funded with public money. Fortlage fears that while a "guarantee" may not completely disappear in next year's legislative budget, it may be significantly diminished.

In 2009, voters can expect to receive a report from Governor Ted Strickland outlining his education-reform agenda. Former CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett cut spending by $100 million in 2004 resulting in several schools closing and the elimination of jobs.

David Quolke, president of the Teachers Union, pondered the accuracy of the projected enrollment that predicted 46,000 students. Even so, it was noted that some of the 5,200 union members will no longer be employed if this trend keeps going.

Background Check and Applicant Tracking Companies Partner Up

A background check company and applicant tracking provider have teamed up.

EmployeescreenIQ, a Cleveland-based background check company, and MyStaffingPro, a Lima Ohio-based applicant tracking provider, have joined together. The partnership will allow hiring professionals using MyStaffingPro's platform to utilize EmployeescreenIQ's background checks for employees throughout the world.

"Plain and simple: HR professionals are looking for time and cost saving solutions that maximize efficiency and reduce risk in the workplace," Nick Fishman, chief marketing officer of employeescreenIQ, said in a press release. "This strategic alliance between two market leaders allows them to do so without sacrificing quality and compliance."

This new pre-integrated solution will improve hiring and screening efficiency, reduce the need for duplicate data entry, minimize the opportunity for data entry error and promote consistency in the hiring and screening process. The partnership between employeescreenIQ and myStaffingPro will ultimately help HR practitioners become more efficient in evaluating candidates and accelerate the hiring process.

"The partnership will offer our customers the capability to submit the background request via an interface from myStaffingPro to their site," Ruth Ann Stover, director of sales, said in the release. "Part of the integration includes the capability to collect a true, legally defensible electronic signature from candidates. Once completed we will receive the real time feedback from employeescreenIQ with a portal link to review results. It's a win-win for our customers."

EmployeescreenIQ is a global leader of employment screening services. The company's comprehensive research techniques produce thorough, accurate screening reports that meet the unique needs of clients and the standards of federal and international employment guidelines. EmployeescreenIQ also allows valued clients to be confident they are making intelligent hiring decisions.

MyStaffingPro is a web-based applicant tracking system with nearly 10 years of experience. Clients of myStaffingPro consistently give high ratings for flexible user functionality, unmatched prescreening, superior support, advanced reporting and virtually zero down time. The system is available in four solutions to accommodate clients of any size or hiring process. MyStaffingPro is currently delivering the hiring process for over 400 clients and has processed over 12 million applications.