Aurico Achieves Green Business Certification

Aurico is proud to announce that it has met the standards for "Green Business" Certification.  Aurico's commitment to developing and implementing polices for a safer and healthier world has enforced their leadership in creating innovative ways to introduce sustainability.

• Dedication to a paperless environment by building the award-winning WebACE™ Screening Platform. Cloud based architecture supports electronic file cabinet, e-signature, digital documentation, and web-based training.

• Located premises in Arlington Heights, IL across from the public transportation system, METRA in order to reduce employee and partner travel and subsequent greenhouse gas emissions.

• Created and launched numerous initiatives to reduce electricity including its office network design, use of webinars and other remote tools for training and communication purposes, and conversion of documents to electronic archive.

• Annual audit of indoor air quality to reduce emission footprint.

In collaboration with customers, partners, employees, and stakeholders, Aurico is a company that consciously chooses to make a positive impact on the environment and work to safeguard the health and welfare of future generations.

Think Twice When You Screen Those New College Graduates

Smart and ready to prove themselves, new graduates can infuse fresh thinking and new insight into a company. Employers know that not all graduates are created equal. Making sure a recent graduate is a good fit for a business can be tricky.

In 2014, approximately 57% of employers say they plan to hire new college graduates, up from 53% last year¹. The fact that more companies are hiring from the talent pool of 1.6 million students graduating with bachelor’s degrees, is positive news. But before you even start the interview process, you need to prepare a special pre-employment action plan for this pool of raw talent.

Of course, you want to acquire information about near and long term goals, willingness to persevere in the face of adversity, and attitude. You probably also want to know if a candidate has the ability to show up on time, drug-free and ready to use the stated skills. This may be a complex issue that requires a special kind of background screen.

Aurico will be at the National SHRM conference in Orlando. Stop by the Aurico booth #2945 and see how you can become $25,000 richer.

Aurico will be exhibiting at the 2014 National SHRM Conference & Exposition at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida happening June 22^nd – 25^th.  We will be located near the front entrance at booth #2945.  This year, Aurico will be giving away hundreds of prizes, including a chance to win $25,000 in cash.  Stop by booth #2945 and win something.  If you’re not registered for the conference and you would like to visit the exhibit hall, click here to request your free exhibit pass, courtesy of Aurico.

Employer and Work Comp Carrier Must Pay for Medical Marijuana

On May 19, 2014 the New Mexico Appellate Court affirmed a workers' compensation judge's (WCJ) determination that an employer and workers' compensation insurance carrier must reimburse an employee for the cost of medical marijuana treatment for pain.

The employer had argued that the WCJ directive violated federal law and was not a recognized reimbursement under the state's workers' compensation law. The WCJ and Appellate Court rejected both arguments.

The employee had sustained a severe lower back injury and the parties agreed he had 99% permanent partial disability. One doctor considered the worker to be suffering "from some of the most extremely high intensity, frequency, and duration of pain out of all the thousands of patients I've treated within my 7 years practicing medicine." The employee had been taking multiple narcotic based pain relievers and multiple anti-depressant medications. 

Popular Hotel Class Action Suit for FCRA Violation

Another class action law suit was filed against an employer for violation with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  This suit was filed against a popular national hotel chain for alleged violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  The allegation against the hotel was that the hotel did not obtain proper disclosure and authorization to obtain consumer reports on job applicants.

Other recent lawsuits have been filed for similar violations against a national grocery chain, national retail chain, and national trucking company.

What Should Employers Do

Employers Must Comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act

Employers must take certain steps before you can obtain a consumer report, and before and after you take an adverse action based on that report.

Before You Get a Consumer Report

Employers must:

Rochester, NY Passes "Ban the Box" for All Private Employers

On May 22, 2014, the City of Rochester, NY, became the 11th U.S. jurisdiction to "ban the box" by passing legislation restricting private employers from inquiring into the criminal history of job applicants.  Rochester, NY joins other states/cities as follows:   Buffalo, N.Y., Newark, N.J., Philadelphia, PA, Seattle, WA, and San Francisco, CA, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Rhode Island.

The Rochester law forbids inquiries into criminal history before an employer makes a conditional offer of employment. Rochester's law goes into effect on November 18, 2014 and applies to all employers with 4 or more full time employees.

Exit Interviews - A Key Component in Organizational Improvements

Recently Aurico hosted a webinar on Exit Interviews. Our presenter Chason Hecht, CEO of Retensa discussed the various benefits to properly conducted exit interviews.

Retensa’s Research Division developed a 40 item survey that includes questions on:

• Key organizational characteristics
• The methods currently used to conduct exit interviews
• Exit interview effectiveness

Of the 353 respondents in EIRS;

• 295 completed majority of survey questions
• 75% of organizations currently conduct exit interviews for all units
• 18% of organizations conduct exit interviews for some units
• 7% do not conduct exit interviews at all