Drug and alcohol testing policies are continually evolving and changing to reflect new state laws, federal regulations, or workplace attitudes. A regular review of your company’s current policy and procedures will help ensure that your company is on track to meet its goals and be legally compliant.

If your policy is no longer delivering value or helping you find employees that will execute your desired goals, it may be time to reevaluate.

Not sure if your policy could use updating?

Here are some indications that it could be time to update your policy:

Medical marijuana hasn’t been discussed

Although an employer is generally allowed to create their own drug testing policy including the right to a drug-free workplace, with changing laws surrounding both medical and recreational marijuana there may be some nuances you should be familiar with. Check out our article talking about testing for marijuana in the workplace today here and consult with your legal team about what guidelines you should follow.

No process is in place to monitor industry standards or changes

After spending so much time and consideration building your drug testing policy, you won’t need to review or update it for several years, right? Wrong! Most drug testing companies advise that you should review your policy at least once a year. Laws are ever-changing and this includes background screening and drug testing laws. Make sure that your policy is up-to-date with your specific state and industry’s standards.

You haven’t recently assessed your testing type or panel

We find that employers sometimes need to change their testing type or panel to best reflect changes within their company or improve their testing process. It’s a learning game and there isn’t necessarily a testing type or panel that is “best”; it depends on what options are most beneficial for your company.

Some examples of cause for change include:

-With the opioid epidemic, many employers have now updated their testing panel to include semi-synthetic opioids (hydrocodone, oxycodone, etc.) or other prescription medications.

-Some employers decide to change testing types to allow on-site testing which can help cut down on time spent for an employee to take a test.

-Other employers have had issues arise with certain drugs they hadn’t previously included in their testing panel which they then added. Or they’ve had a workplace accident occur due to drug use that has prompted them to add things to their testing program such as: reasonable suspicion training for their supervisors and post-accident testing.

At the beginning of this new year we would advise you to take some time reviewing your company’s current drug testing policy. If you have any questions about how adding or changing your current services could potentially benefit your company, please give us a call at the number above or reach out to our support team at mail@blueline-services.com.

The post Is It Time To Update Your Drug Testing Policy? appeared first on Blueline.

The car, while still in auto-pilot at the time of the accident, did have an operator sitting behind the wheel, 44-year-old Rafaela Vasquez.

Lots of speculation and bad press has rained down on Uber since the accident as it was discovered that Vasquez had served almost four years in prison in the early 2000s due to an attempted armed robbery conviction and unsworn falsification.

While the felony conviction does not have a direct correlation to the crash, it has brought Uber’s hiring policies to light and they are currently under active investigation.

Uber’s Legal Past

This isn’t the first time.

Uber has different regulations and laws across the globe and been involved in over 173 lawsuits since November 2015. Many of them due to safety disputes. Their screening provider Checkr has been sued over bad background checks recently as well which has not helped Uber’s situation.

Uber’s hiring policy boasts to help offer convicts a second chance. (Something we strongly support!) But the safety of users and adhering to regulations are also extremely important.

Just a few months ago, the ride-hailing company was under fire for a similar felony problem. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission fined them $8.9 million for hiring 57 drivers with previous felony convictions.

Uber was subject to the fine as Colorado state law prevents individuals with felony convictions, alcohol or drug-related riving offenses, unlawful sexual offenses and major traffic violations from working for ride-share companies.

The company blamed the problem on a error in its background check process, but acknowledged that some drivers had been approved that shouldn’t have been allowed on its service.

As a ride-sharing company, one of app’s users’ main concerns is feeling safe while participating in their services. And employment screening is a huge part of this security.

How Do I Keep Myself And/Or My Company Safe?

Many screening providers rely on automated procedures alone to handle their screening processes, leaving their clients exposed to a multitude of safety and legal risks.

To help avoid finding yourself or your company in a sticky situation like Uber is in currently, it’s so important to have a quality employee screening provider who will run more than just an automated background check.

We know it isn’t easy to keep up with so many different rules and regulations. They are ever-changing and differ from state to state. We understand Uber and Checkr’s frustrations; it isn’t easy work!!

More than seventy-nine percent of employers lose negligent hiring cases and employers are out $81 billion for drug abuse costs every year.

So what should your screening provider be doing?

Make sure that your screening provider (whoever they might be) is professionally reviewing your background checks and drug tests—meaning that your checks aren’t just running through the automated system. After running through the system, every result should be individually reviewed by a screening professional to double-check for accuracy and find any hidden errors.

Another way in which we ensure accuracy is by having a full-time compliance manger who is always checking and updating regulations on our end. Because these regulations are constantly changing, it’s crucial to have someone who is consistently checking for updates.

We’re passionate about quality employment screening because it not only saves you money, time and a serious headache—it also keeps you and everyone around you safe.

The post Uber Under Fire After Fatal Self-Driving Accident appeared first on Blueline.

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.