Free 90-Minute Webinar
Conducting Employee Background Checks in the EU: Is it Legal? Is it Advisable?
Thursday, February 25, 2010
2:00 - 3:30 p.m. GMT*
3:00 - 4:30 p.m. CET*
While employers in the United States have been conducting background checks on prospective employees for years, it still is a relatively new concept for companies in the EU. American companies have been doing this to uncover resume fraud, screen out potentially dangerous employees, and ascertain whether there has been a past history of criminal or other dangerous behavior.
In Europe, serious concerns have been raised regarding privacy issues, what information can be legitimately asked and obtained from former employers, what kind of background information can be collected, and what is the potential risk of data protection liability.
This webinar will discuss why background checks are important and how they can be done legally and practically in the EU, even taking into account the numerous privacy laws among all the different countries. Presenters will address:
- How background checks are used in the EU – and lessons learned from screening in the U.S.
- What employers can and cannot ask
- What tools are used to conduct background checks; (research on the internet, interviews, request for information to former employers or government agencies etc.)
- Legal framework for each tool (written consent by employee, employment contract etc.)
- National and EU data protection legislation on background checks
- Works councils’ and union’s rights on background checks
- Bridging the gap: screening for EU residents who are applying to work in the U.S.
Who Should Attend?
The webinar is an invitation-only event exclusively for clients of ELA member law firms. The information presented will be of particular interest to:
- In-house Counsel
- Human Resources Professionals
- Risk Managers
- Internal Auditors
- Corporate Security and Corporate Compliance Officers
- Business Owners
- Other management who conduct or oversee pre-employment background checks
Speakers
- Jan Tibor Lelley, Buse Heberer Fromm, Essen, Germany
- Stéphane Baltazar, Van Olmen Wynant, Brussels, Belgium
- Sascha Kuit, Boekel De Nerée, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Maria Da Gloria Leitao, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira, Lisbon, Portugal
- Lester S. Rosen, Employment Screening Resources, Novato, CA
- Sasha Stepanova, Kocián Solc Balastík, Prague, Czech Republic
- Claire Toumieux, Flichy Grangé Avocats, Paris, France
- Barry Walsh, A&L Goodbody, Dublin, Ireland
CLE Credit
The Employment Law Alliance is not able to offer CLE credits at this time; however, for U.S. states that will accept it, we will gladly provide a Certificate of Attendance.
About the Employment Law Alliance
The Employment Law Alliance is the most comprehensive network of labor and employment attorneys in the world. Our network of over 3,000 attorneys provides employment and labor expertise in all 50 U.S. states and in more than 300 cities in over 110 countries around the globe. ELA members work closely together to ensure that their clients’ legal matters are handled seamlessly wherever they do business. The ELA provides a smarter, more efficient and effective alternative to using a single multi-state or multi-national law firm. For more information about the ELA, please visit: www.employmentlawalliance.com.
Register
To register, please go to: www.employmentlawalliance.com and click the link in the box on the right entitled, “Employment Law Webinars.”
*NOTE: the starting time listed on the registration website page is U.S. EST – the webinar in fact starts at 2:00 p.m. GMT/3:00 p.m. CET (9:00 a.m. U.S. EST).
Questions?
For additional information or questions, please contact Linda Henderson at the Employment Law Alliance (leh@employmentlawalliance.com).
The audio and power point slides from this webinar will be posted on the ELA website within 48 hours of completion. If you are unable to attend the “live” session, we invite you to listen via the website (www.employmentlawalliance.com).
