Sophia makes it a practice to call each applicant’s former employers to verify employment claims and determine if there were any behavioral problems in prior jobs. Her company is now being sued because a new hire had an automobile accident while on a delivery run. It turned out he had a history of reckless driving charges in his past two jobs. But she wasn’t told about those when she talked with the former employers. Should Sophia be worried?

Employee and labor relations are complex issues. They often require HR personnel to understand complex legal requirements. They depend on talented and skilled management personnel to guide employees and the organization through all requirements of day-to-day concerns. In today’s employment world, HR professionals must have a great depth of legal knowledge because they will need to use that knowledge every day.