Wisconsin Background Checks

Health Street combines industry knowledge, a commitment to accuracy, and a spirit of fairness when performing background checks in the Badger State. Comprehensive employment screenings keep you and your business from stumbling into legal problems. A thorough background screening is essential to confirming that your new hires in are qualified and honest.

Health Street's combination of high tech and high touch make background checks in fast and reliable. We offer simple, secure web technology matched with local court runners to protect your company.

Due diligence is critical. Poorly performed background checks can expose you in the following ways:

In either case, you could be held legally liable. It is critical that you stay in compliance with local labor laws. Let Health Street's experts conduct your background checks in New Mexico so you'll know that your candidates have been fully and properly vetted before hire.

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If your business hires truck drivers, DOT regulations require that you reach out to prior employers as well as check the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse for violations. You also need to run a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) to ensure that your drivers have a clean, safe driving record.

Health Street takes this work off of your hands and stores your Wisconsin background checks securely in the same convenient online portal where you can manage your DOT drug testing and random pool. We contact prior employers, check the Clearinghouse on your behalf, and report it all back to you in a comprehensive background check report, that includes:

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Education verification and reference checks are also critical to the pre-employment background checks in Wisconsin. Employers should also verify an applicant's resume, confirming their:

Calling all of the schools and employers on a person's resume to confirm if your applicant is telling the truth could take hours. Fortunately, Health Street can easily handle your Wisconsin resume and employment verifications quickly and effectively. We will flag any discrepancies and report them back to you.

Background Check Laws Specific to the State of Wisconsin

When conducting Wisconsin background checks, employers must ensure equal rights for all employees and applicants. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces federal laws to prevent discrimination based on color, race, religion, sexual orientation, and disabilities. Employers must conduct background checks equally and avoid screening of only one race or sex.

Wisconsin employers must also comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FCRA requires that employers inform an applicant or employee beforehand that the information from the background screening may be used to make employment decisions. This must be in writing, not on the job application, and the employer must obtain permission, in writing, from every applicant and employee. Under the FTC, when taking adverse employment action based on background screening results, the employee or applicant must receive a written notice with a copy of the report used in making the decision and a written copy of their rights under the FCRA. The applicant or employee has a chance to review the report, explain the negative information found, and has the right to dispute the accuracy of the report.

In 2016, Wisconsin adopted a "ban the box" policy, ensuring employers consider an applicant's qualifications before ruling them out because of an arrest record or criminal history. Wisconsin's ban-the-box law applies to public-sector employers. The 2015 Wisconsin Act 150 states that an employer may not ask applicants about criminal records, except for applicants applying for a position where a particular criminal history would disqualify them for the job. Otherwise, criminal records may only be considered after an applicant has become certified as an eligible applicant.

Milwaukee and Racine, WI passed similar local laws. In 2017, the city of Racine passed an ordinance that prohibits city employers from inquiring about an applicant's criminal history for city positions. Milwaukee's ordinance was passed in 2016 and prohibits employers from background screening civil service applicants.

Although these laws do not impact a private employer's decision to request background checks, the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (WFEA) limits the information employers may obtain about an applicant. Wisconsin employers cannot refuse to hire or take adverse employment action on an applicant or employer unless prior convictions directly relate to the job position.

Wisconsin discrimination laws do not only apply to the hiring process. Employers are prohibited from discriminating against applicants and employees regarding pay, promotions, licensing, benefits, job assignments, union memberships, layoffs, firing, training, and all other employment-related actions. Wisconsin employers must not discriminate based on age, arrest records, conviction records, ancestry, race, origin, color, genetic testing, disability, creed, honesty testing, military service, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth, sex, sexual orientation, and lawful use of products while off the business's property in non-working hours.

Statistics on Crime in the State of Wisconsin