The success of Wisconsin employers’ businesses depends on their ability to make smart hiring decisions. The wrong hires may lead to decreased safety, decreased productivity, losses, and potential legal liability. Many employers in the state use a Wisconsin background check to aid in making wise hiring decisions. These checks can be crucial in assisting businesses in hiring capable, qualified, and reliable workers.
By gaining access to Wisconsin public records, people can conduct an informal background lookup. Informal background checks are not acceptable for renting an apartment, applying for a job, or for other official purposes, but they can be helpful when looking into Neighbors, Friends, Enemies, Relatives, Babysitters, Co-Workers, Roommates.
Employers must abide by a number of federal and state laws that control employment background checks in Wisconsin in order to conduct background checks and use the information they receive.
Employment Background Check Laws in Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, all applicable local, state, and federal laws that regulate the pre-employment screening process must be complied with by employers and consumer reporting agencies that gather, report, and use background check information in the hiring process.
The data that CRAs like freebackgroundchecks, iprospectcheck are permitted to gather and report is subject to a number of laws. Additionally, laws govern how employers are permitted to use background data in hiring decisions.
Your company may be subject to severe fines and potential legal liability if you violate these laws.
The Sunshine Law Applies to Government.
The majority of records kept by state agencies and other required groups are accessible to the public thanks to the Wisconsin Public Records Law. The public in Wisconsin has extensive access to a wide variety of records. The general public has access to numerous types of court and criminal records, as well as handwritten notes and electronic communications.
Federal Laws on Employment Background Checks
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act are two crucial federal laws that employers should be aware of when using data from pre-employment background checks during the hiring process.
Wisconsin State Laws on Background Checks for Jobs
When conducting employment background checks and using the results to make hiring decisions, employers in Wisconsin are subject to a number of state laws.
Employers in the public sector are prohibited by 2015 AB 373 from requesting applicants’ criminal histories on job applications. This kind of information cannot be brought up until the interview stage.
Employers who employ caregivers are required to conduct background checks on caregivers prior to hiring applicants and every four years after a person has been hired, in accordance with Wis. Stat. 50.065(1)(ag)1.
Employers are not allowed to discriminate against applicants based on information about their criminal histories under Wis. Stat. 111.335. Additionally, employers are not permitted to rely on arrests for which there is no record of a conviction. Before making a negative employment decision, employers must conduct individualized analyses of any information revealed as it relates to the particular jobs.
Ban-the-box laws that apply to employers in the public sector are in place in the counties of Dane and Milwaukee, as well as the cities of Milwaukee and Madison. Due to these laws, hiring decisions must be made after careful consideration of each applicant’s criminal history.
Employers are not permitted to ask candidates or employees for their social media passwords under Wisconsin’s social media law. Additionally, they are not allowed to request that job candidates or employees open their social media accounts in their presence or add them as friends on their pages.
How Does a Wisconsin Background Check Look?
The specific types of reports you request will determine the data you might see on a Wisconsin employment background check.
When conducting pre-employment background checks, Wisconsin employers typically request information about the criminal history, employment history, and educational credentials of their applicants. However, the specific information requested may vary.
When you order each of these reports for your employment background checks in Wisconsin, you might see the data listed below.
Historical Overview of Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, background checks are not cost-free. After creating an account, people and businesses can order name-based background checks from the Department of Justice online. The FBI must conduct all background checks based on fingerprints according to Wisconsin law. Wisconsin criminal background checks can be ordered singly or as part of an online subscription. Requests for criminal record checks from law enforcement and other parties cannot be handled online. The price of an online name-based background check is not available in Wisconsin.
Public records held by state agencies and affiliates can be accessed as part of an unofficial background investigation. Many records are accessible, but people need to know which agencies are in charge of the records they want. The public can access the official records that various agencies keep on file.
The state’s central repository for criminal histories is the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Records have a “Master Name,” which serves as the primary identifier, and are fingerprint-based. Records of the fingerprints collected at the time of the arrest are kept in the repository. Only arrest records that ended in convictions are kept on file.
Court records in the state must be kept by the Wisconsin Courts System. According to the rules established by the Wisconsin Public Records Laws, a lot of court records and documents are public information. Circuit, Supreme, and Appellate court cases are accessible online. Lists of records, which include the court that holds the actual court documents, are available to the public online. The relevant court allows for free document viewing.
The state’s repository for vital records is the Wisconsin Department of Human Services. In Wisconsin, the majority of vital records are private. Requesters of marriage, birth, and death record information must present two forms of identification and pay a fee.
These details on a Wisconsin background can help make your background investigation be successful. Keep them in mind as you conduct your search.