CSI Associate General Counsel Kellie O’Shea, Esq., PHR, discusses the importance of and best practices in conducting employment verifications for potential employees in a recent article published in The 2018-19 edition of The Background Screening Resource Guide.
Effective September 17, 2018, Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) will incorporate the Notice of Rights that Consumers Have the Right to Obtain a Security Freeze in every consumer report following the Summary of Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
On July 1, 2018, Massachusetts joins a growing number of jurisdictions who have passed pay equity laws which include restrictions or bans on seeking salary or wage history of a prospective employee.
Last month, Governor Charlie Baker signed An Act Implementing the Joint Recommendations of the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Review and An Act Relative to Criminal Justice Reform which will go into effect on October 13, 2018.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has issued a new Consent Based Social Security Number Verification (CBSV) consent form effective January 1, 2018.
The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS®) Background Screening Credentialing Council (BSCC) announced today that Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) has successfully demonstrated continued compliance with the Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program (BSAAP) and is recognized as BSCC-Accredited.
The Massachusetts Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) published amended agency regulations (803 CMR 2.00 et. seq.) effective April 27, 2017 to their website. Click here to visit the DCJIS website.
This year marks Judy Gootkind's 25th year with CSI. She has and continues to be an integral part of the company's executive management team, and has been instrumental in our growth and success in the background investigations industry.
Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) is pleased to announce the results of its recent Net Promoter Score® (NPS®) Survey, which asked for customer feedback on CSI’s full-service employment screening, background investigations and security consulting services. According to the survey results, CSI received an NPS of +74, placing it among the uppermost ranks of professional service firms. An NPS benchmark study conducted by The Hinge Research Institute states that the professional service industry’s average NPS is +54.
Creative Services, Inc. is pleased to announce that we have successfully self-certified with the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) to the Principles of the E.U. – U.S. Privacy Shield.
Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) is proud to support and participate in the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) Annual Conference in Washington D.C., September 25-27, 2016. CSI will be exhibiting in booth #109.
Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) is proud to support and participate in the upcoming Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA) Conference, September 28 – 30, 2016, Falmouth, MA. CSI will be exhibiting in booth #49.
Members of Creative Services Inc. (CSI) Nuclear Center of Excellence in Chapin, SC participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event on Friday, May 6, 2016 at Chapin High School in Chapin, SC.
On Monday, May 2nd from 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., Kellie O’Shea will co-present “Don’t Become a Headline: Keep Your Campus Safe” withThomas W. Komola, Manager of the Security and Emergency Management Office at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
CSI's VP of Finance and Administration Judy Gootkind was appointed Chair of the NAPBS Background Screening Credentialing Council (BSCC), the governing body for the NAPBS Accreditation Program.
Judy Gootkind, CSI's VP of Finance and Administration, will present on Background Checks, EEOC Enforcement and the current regulatory environment in Washington and MA.
Stephen Frohbieter, Milton CAT’s Director of Human Resources and Administration, said, “Background checks are an essential employment tool, and CSI sets the standard in quality and accuracy. Thanks to our program with CSI, we have eliminated numerous potential HR issues that could have resulted from bad hires. Today, we would never consider hiring a new employee without a thorough background investigation -- and without CSI.”
On August 3, 2015 the Russian Ministry of Communications, the agency that oversees the Russian data protection authority which will be enforcing Russia's Data Localization Law, published unofficial clarifications on its website that provide a view into how the Ministry believes organizations must comply with the law.
According to a report by The New York Times on August 19, 2015, background checks used by ride-sharing company Uber failed to uncover the criminal records of 25 drivers in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Creative Services, Inc. is proud to announce that it has been granted continuing accreditation by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS).
While NAPBS Chair, Judy Gootkind created and participated in a taskforce that developed an industry paper explaining the benefits of commercial background checks versus the known shortcomings of the FBI fingerprint search.
On June 10, 2015, the New York City Council voted to prohibit private employers from asking job applicants questions about criminal convictions on job applications. Under the Fair Chance Act (the “Act”) an employer may ask about an applicant’s criminal history and conduct a criminal background check only after extending the conditional offer.
Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) is committed to ensuring its operations, and those of its clients, are in compliance with all applicable state, federal and international laws pertaining to employment, privacy and the Fair Credit Reporting act (FCRA). Please review this Annual Notification and the documents referenced herein for important information regarding your obligations under the FCRA as well as CSI’s Privacy Policy.
On April 16, 2015, the New York City Council passed New York City Bill Int-261-2014 A, a bill that amends the city’s Human Rights Law and makes it an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer to use an individual’s consumer credit history in making employment decisions.
Judy Gootkind, Vice President of Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) and Chair of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), offered opening remarks to a gathering of over 600 background screening professionals at the 2014 NAPBS Annual Conference, October 19-21, in Denver.
Jack Nichols, Director and General Counsel of leading background investigations firm, Creative Services, Inc. (CSI), will serve as a guest speaker at the 2014 NorthEast
Disaster Recovery Information X‐Change (NEDRIX) Annual Conference, October 27 -29, 2014 in Newport, RI.
Creative Services, Inc. has added William “Bill” Chouinard as Senior Director of Operations. In this role, Bill will oversee the day-to-day activities of the company, identifying and implementing best practices to ensure operational efficiency. Working closely with CSI’s executive management team, Bill will also develop strategies to enhance client service and will implement new directives for growth.
Creative Services, Inc. has promoted Casey Bowdish to the position of Program Manager. In her new role, Casey will work closely with CSI Director and General Counsel, Jack Nichols, to manage comprehensive background investigations for state agencies and private entities involved in Marijuana Licensing Programs.
Jack Nichols, Director and General Counsel of leading background investigations firm, Creative Services, Inc. (CSI), will serve as a guest speaker at the Massachusetts Staffing Association’s program on “Background Investigation for Staffing Companies,” October 1, 2014, from 8:15 AM to 10:30 AM EDT in Holyoke, MA. Specifically, Nichols will present an overview of current background investigation law (including the FCRA and EEOC litigation) as it pertains to staffing companies and will explain how to implement a comprehensive and legally compliant program to screen new temps.
Jack Nichols, Director and General Counsel of leading background investigations firm, Creative Services, Inc. (CSI), will serve as a guest speaker at the TempNet Fall Conference, September 17 - 20, 2014, in Whitefish, Montana. Nichols will present “Legal Issues Related to Background Checks,” which will provide an overview of current background investigation law -- including the FCRA and EEOC litigation -- as it pertains to staffing companies, and will provide guidance on how to implement a comprehensive and legally compliant program to screen new hires.
On August 22, 2014, the District of Columbia Council enacted the “Fair Criminal Record Screening Amendment Act of 2014,” a ban-the-box legislation that applies to private employers in the District with more than ten employees. The law will take effect following a 30-day period of Congressional review. Currently, ban-the-box laws affect more than 50 cities and 10 states.
Recently the U.S. Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (H.R. 803), which aims to update and improve the nation’s workforce development system. Working with Washington, D.C. law firm Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, along with staff on the House Education and the Workforce Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) successfully opposed background check language included in the Act.
On August 11, 2014, New Jersey enacted its own “ban-the-box” law when Governor Chris Christie signed “The Opportunity to Compete Act.” This law, which becomes effective March 1, 2015, restricts the ability of covered employers to inquire and use criminal records.
New Ban-the-Box Law in Illinois prohibits employers, or any agent of an employer, from inquiring into a prospective employee’s criminal background on its application or during the early stages of application review.
On June 27, 2014, Jack Nichols, Director and General Counsel, Creative Services, Inc., participated in a Massachusetts Department of Health press conference to discuss the background check process involving medical marijuana dispensaries applying for licenses to operate in the state.
Effective July 1, 2014, the State of Indiana introduced a new background check law, which limits the information that “criminal history providers” can report to employers through employment background checks.
Judith Gootkind, CSI's VP of Finance and Administration and Chair of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), was interviewed for a piece in Employment Alert (Thomson Reuters) around ways employers can avoid class action lawsuit.
On June 18, 2014, Judith Gootkind, CSI's VP of Finance and Administration and Chair of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), testified before the Rhode Island Senate Committee on Judiciary on Senate Bill 2365 entitled An Act Relating to Education – School Committees and Superintendents.
On May 15, 2014, Baltimore enacted the Fair Criminal-Record Screening Practices ordinance, which bans private employers from inquiring about or conducting a criminal background check on an applicant until a conditional offer has been extended. This law, which is a growing trend at state and local levels across the country, is generally called “ban-the-box.”
Judith Gootkind, CSI’s VP of Finance and Administration and Chair of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), participated in the NAPBS Mid-Year Legislative and Regulatory Conference. She was quoted in the following press release.
As employer social media practices continue to evolve, new state laws are working to restrict employer access to employee social media account information.
On April 30, 2014, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a suit in Colorado federal court against private college, CollegeAmerica, alleging that the school’s separation agreements improperly prevented employees from filing age discrimination complaints, which is in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).
Wisconsin has become the thirteenth state to enact a law limiting the circumstances under which employers may request or require access to the personal internet accounts of applicants and employees.
Beginning April 1, 2014, the New York Office of Court Administration (OCA) is no longer providing a criminal history for any individual whose only conviction was a single misdemeanor more than ten years prior to the date of the request.
On March 13, 2014, the New York Attorney General announced that his office secured agreements with four of the nation’s largest background check agencies making it illegal to automatically disqualify job applicants based solely on criminal history.
On March 6th, Judy Gootkind, Vice President of Creative Services, Inc. and Chair of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS), participated in the Background Checks and Employment Conference 2014.
Jack Nichols, Director and General Counsel, Creative Services, Inc., presented “2014 CORI Update,” as part of a webinar hosted by leading insurance company Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC .
Judy Gootkind, VP of Creative Services, Inc. has been named the new Chairperson at the annual National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) conference.
Creative Services Inc. (CSI) announced today the appointment of Peter Fowler to their leadership team. Peter will direct the growth of CSI’s Energy sector and expansion of their market share in Regulated Industries and Drug Screening services.
Creative Services, Inc. has successfully proved compliance with the Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program (BSAAP) and will now be formally recognized as BSCC Accredited.
Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) announced today that James (Jay) Sartori has been selected as the new Director of Operations for the company’s headquarters in Mansfield, MA after a 13-year career in global corporate security.
Alan T. Sklar, CSI’s President and CEO, appeared on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer on Friday July 20th to consult on movie theater security after 12 people were killed and 58 people were wounded at a midnight movie showing in Aurora, Colorado.
CSI is excited to announce our recent partnership with iCIMS, a leading software-as-service provider offering an entirely web-based talent acquisition and applicant tracking solution.
Heidi Raffanello, Director of Government Services for Creative Services Inc. (CSI) was selected as an advisor to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) Advisory Task Force on September 9, 2011.
CSI Vice President Judy Gootkind was one of a handful of witnesses to address a Congressional subcommittee in September about H.R. 3149, the Equal Employment for All Act.
"What seems to escape the liars' understanding is that by our survey, 95% of the time employers will eliminate from consideration candidates who claim degrees they did not earn.
Heidi M. Raffanello, retired Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), has been named Director of Government Services for Creative Services, Inc.
Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) and BitSec Forensics, Inc. today announced that they have formed a strategic partnership that will effectuate a combined expansion of our service offerings.