This is one of the most common questions or hesitations that we get from both employers and employees about drug testing.

Both sides of the issue are a little bit tricky, but the short answer is yes. Yes, an employer can require prescription medication disclosure, and, yes, employees must disclose medication if requested to do so by the employer. However, an employer can’t just require employees to disclose their prescriptions without having good reason to.

When is it appropriate to have a prescription medication disclosure in your workplace drug testing policy?

Unfortunately, there is no specific hard and fast rule for being allowed to mandate disclosure of prescription medications. The issue of privacy is very important in regards to protecting an employee’s rights. However, the issues of safety and liability beat out privacy in the case of safety-sensitive work. If there is a chance that the employee or others could be harmed due to impairment from a prescription drug, then employers are able to require prescription medication disclosure. As a general rule, employers must be able to prove that their request is job-related and consistent with business necessity.

Referencing current and past court cases related to prescription drug policies. The following seem to be good indicators that prescription drug policies should be enforced:

1. The employee is engaged in safety sensitive duties.
2. The drug in question may impact the employee’s ability to engage in safety-sensitive duties adversely.
3. The disclosure is only related to on-the-job drug use.
4. The information required to be disclosed is treated by the employer with the utmost discretion in order to safeguard the employee’s privacy.

If you have questions about getting started with drug testing for your own organization, please give us a call at 888-919-8378 or email us at mail@blueline-services.com. We’re more than happy to help!

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Here are a few steps you can take to protect yourself:

1) Check Your Accounts: A former Wells Fargo manager, Maged Nashid, recently said in an interview to look for suspicious withdrawals ranging from $25 to $100. AKA the amount needed to open a Wells Fargo checking or savings account.

Clients often barely notice these small charges or don’t want to go through the hassle of filling out forms to get their money back. But these small charges could mean a lot more than simply $25 lost.

2) Ask for a Social Security Inquiry from your Bank: Banks can run a check through their systems based on your name or social security information to help you locate any accounts with your information.

3) Be Wary of Questionable Mail: Mike Feuer, a Los Angeles City Attorney who has filed a civil complaint against Wells Fargo, also opened up in interviews about his thoughts concerning this scam.

He said people should be cautious about credit or debit cards arriving to their home for accounts they have not opened. Any suspicious mail from your bank should be looked into. Don’t just toss it aside!

4) Set Up ACH Filters or Positive Pay: ACH or electronic fund transfers are a common method used by scammers to steal money from bank accounts. Often all that is needed to steal funds in this manner is an account and bank routing number.

However, you can set up ACH protections. These can require such transfers to be pre-authorized or reviewed before being completed and will help protect you. Talk to your bank about setting up these filters and protections.

What’s happening with Wells Fargo now?

Along with firing 5,300 employees who were involved in the scandal, Wells Fargo has made it known that they are trying to switch from a focus on sales quotas to good customer service in order to help rectify this problem. The bank announced that they are going to stop their sales goals altogether beginning January 1st.

L.A. attorney, Feuer, stated that Wells has a long way to go to help fix this problem.

“Clearly the necessity to fire 5,300 employees shows that there is something that needs to change with Wells internal oversight and with its practices generally,” Feuer said in an interview.

Wells Fargo wasn’t just dealing with one #EmployeeFromHell but a whole lot of problems going on inside.

The post Wells Fargo Scam: How To Protect Yourself From Fraud appeared first on Blueline.

It is important to note that not every employer is going to pull a credit report. In fact, usually only businesses that are related to finance or profit gain/loss will use credit reports when making hiring decisions. And while some businesses not related to money may request a credit check, these checks are only referenced at the very end of the hiring process and are not a huge factor in whether or not you get hired.

For those who are applying to finance-related jobs, don’t worry as poor credit does not immediately disqualify you from a job or position. Employers are more understanding than you might think and won’t let a single blemish disqualify someone from a job. Tom Armour, the co-founder of HighReturnSelection.com, was quoted as saying that “[He] once observed a fellow who had gone bankrupt being hired for a key financial role. He was brilliant, and the company felt the bankruptcy was a life learning event.” Don’t sweat things as employers are forgiving and more than willing to overlook little mistakes.

However, this doesn’t give you free reign as an overwhelmingly negative credit report can still hurt your prospects. TyAnn Osborn, a director of human resources for the the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation feels that “One late payment to Columbia House Music back in 1988 doesn’t concern me; however, I did have a candidate with multiple foreclosures and a string of late payments. Over a period of time, it represented a series of poor decisions and lack of judgment. That did concern me, and ultimately we did not extend an offer.”

In the end, employers may want to use a credit check in their hiring process, but these are not always the deciding factor when making a hiring decision. For more on credit check fact versus fiction, check out a great article by clicking here! And for those who are interested in finding out more about the hiring process (pre-screening, employee background checks, etc.), tune into our blog every week for regular content!

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