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46 B - General Employment Policies
City of Greensboro Personnel Policy Manuał
and safety of themselves, other employees, and the public; (2) the employee’s duties involve
working with vulnerable populations such as children and seniors; or (3) the employee’s duties
involve handling cash or sensitive financial information.
5.0 ORGANIZATIONAL RULES
5.1 All applicants for employment are subject to a criminal background check.
5.2 Active employees serving in positions with certain responsibilities (e.g. law enforcement,
interaction with vulnerable populations such as children and elderly, financial operations etc.) are
subject to background checks every three (3) years during their employment.
5.3 An arrest, in and of itself, does not establish that criminal conduct has occurred. Accordingly,
the fact that an individual was arrested should never be the sole basis of an adverse employment
action. The City may take adverse employment action based on information showing that the
individual actually committed the conduct underlying the arrest. A conviction, guilty plea or no
contest plea shall serve as sufficient evidence that the individual engaged in the alleged criminal
conduct.
5.4 The City shall not treat background check information differently for individuals based on their
race, color, gender, religion, age, political affiliation, national origin, sexual orientation, physical or
mental disability, genetic information or any other non-job related factor.
5.5 The City recognizes that the use of background check information may disproportionately
impact some individuals based on their membership in a protected class. Accordingly, the City will
take steps to ensure that any use of background check information will be job related and consistent
with business necessity. See Appendix, EEOC Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of
Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 (under development).
6.0 PROCEDURES
6.1 Pre-Employment Background Checks
The hiring official must have all referred applicants to sign a background check release form
during the interview process. See Appendix, Background Check Release Form. Any applicant
refusing to authorize the background check will have their applications rejected. The Employment
Office will arrange for the background check once the hiring official extends a verbal, tentative
offer of employment to the applicant. The hiring official may identify additional candidates for a
background check in the event that the top candidate is not hired.
If the background check does not reveal any prior criminal activity, the applicant may be hired
pending the results of the drug screening and/or pre-employment physical. However, if the
background check reveals a conviction, guilty or no contest plea, the affected department director,
or designee, in concert with the Employment Supervisor shall determine the degree to which the
criminal conduct is related to the position.