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Background Checks Drug Screening Human Resources Miscellany

Substance Abuse in the Workplace

For those conducting background checks  for employment screening purposes, here is an article well worth reviewing.  While the article narrates substance abuse in the United Kingdom workplace, much can be applied to the American working environment.  Which is why drug screen is often so important.

According to the article in HR Magazine UK….”The TUC estimates that between 3% and 5% of all work absences are due to alcohol, which costs the UK economy nearly £2 billion a year. Recent research from drug and alcohol screening provider Concateno reveals that one in 30 employees (3.23% of the 1.6 million UK employees it tested in 2011) has drugs in their system at any one time in the workplace. If that figure were extrapolated for the UK population, it would equate to 940,000 people. And a 2012 survey by law firm Blake Lapthorn found that most organisations think the use of alcohol (61%) and drugs (54%) by employees outside the office has an adverse effect on their work.

 

For the full article click on this link

 

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Background Checks Human Resources Staffing Uncategorized

Gun Control Background Checks Goes Down in Flames in Senate

For those following the recent controversy regarding background checks for those wishing to buy firearms, the new bill didn’t pass in the Senate.   The final vote was 54 in favor of background checks, and 46 against.  It needed sixty votes to pass.

According to the article in Fox News…”Both sides of the debate, it seemed, were gearing up for a protracted legislative battle that could last through the next congressional election. Democrats appeared to acknowledge that the amendment’s failure Wednesday meant they would not be able to pass any gun bill in the short-term, despite initial claims that the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., might spur a hasty legislative response in Congress.

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Background Checks Court Updates Criminal Records Human Resources Miscellany preemployment screening Staffing Uncategorized

Massachusetts and Washington D.C. Courts to be closed for Patriot’s Day and Emancipation Day

For those employers conducting background checks as part of their employment screening program, please take note…

Mass Courts Closed 4/15; DC Courts Closed 4/16 

All courts in Massachusetts will be closed on Monday, April 15, 2013 in observance of Patriots’ Day. Washington, D.C. courts will be closed on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 in observance of Emancipation Day.

 

 

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Business Research Miscellany Uncategorized

Big Corporations Tell SEC That Cyber Attack Losses Are Minimal

Large Corporations are explaining that the persistent cyberattacks that the federal government has reported as major threats to both proprietary information and the revenue stream have actually done little to hurt the bottom line.  Large companies such as MetLife, Coca-Cola, and Honeywell reported limited losses as opposed to the billions federal officials have been claiming.

This is a tough one.  A maybe-maybe not situation.   It may explain the relative lethargy among the large corporations to tighten by their security against cyberattacks.   As with a number of things, nobody sees the reason to bear down now, as the losses are less costly than the expense of developing new security measures.   But then should one large corporation get so ruthless attacked that they do lose more precious trade secrets, events can turn on a dime.

According to an article in Bloomberg…”There is a clear discrepancy between what companies are reporting to their stockholders and what they’re declaring to policy makers,” said Sascha Meinrath, vice president of the New America Foundation, a Washington-based policy group. The confusion harms the ability of legislators and agency officials to understand cybersecurity, Meinrath said.

This issue should prove more interesting and potentially more problematic over time.