At Atlantic Employee Screening, we know great hiring decisions start with reliable information, consistent processes, and a partner you can count on. That is why we publish this quarterly newsletter to help you stay informed, prepared, and confident in every step of your background screening program.

Inside this Q1 edition, you will find service updates, a new strategic partnership that may help clients who are evaluating payroll options, key compliance and risk insights as we move into 2026, and details on where you can meet our team in person this year.

As always, we welcome your feedback and topic suggestions. Tell us what would be most helpful for your hiring and onboarding goals.

As we begin 2026, I want to thank you for continuing to trust Atlantic Employee Screening as your screening partner. Your team’s hiring goals and the compliance responsibilities that come with them are evolving quickly, and we are committed to staying ahead with you.

This quarter, we are excited to share two updates that we believe will make a meaningful impact. We have expanded our service hours to better support your teams later in the day, and we have formed a new strategic partnership with Inova Payroll for clients seeking a payroll provider that integrates seamlessly with UKG Ready.

We are also highlighting several compliance trends that shaped 2025 and will continue to influence screening in 2026, especially the growing expectation that employers clearly document and support their hiring decisions.

Thank you again for the opportunity to support your team every hire, every step of the way.

New features, faster processes, smarter tools—see what we’ve rolled out to make your background screening experience even better.

To better support you, we established a Customer Care team with a dedicated email for faster support:  customercare@atlanticscreening.com.

Additionally, our Processing and LiveChat hours have been extended to 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday. 

This extended coverage is designed to help you keep hiring moving later in the business day, reduce delays during peak onboarding periods, and receive faster support when timing is critical.

If your organization operates across multiple time zones or manages high volume onboarding, this change should make it easier to stay on track.

Discover how our latest HR tech integration can save you time, reduce errors, and simplify your onboarding workflow.

Strategic Partnership Spotlight: Inova Payroll

We are proud to announce our strategic partnership with Inova Payroll, a payroll provider operating on the UKG Ready platform that integrates seamlessly across payroll, human resources, and workforce management.

This partnership can benefit clients who may be evaluating a new payroll partner by providing:

• Smoother data movement across HR and payroll processes
• Reduced manual data entry and fewer administrative handoffs
• More consistent onboarding workflows across systems
• A modern platform experience for organizations utilizing UKG Ready

If your organization is exploring a new payroll provider or would like to learn more about how this integration can improve operational efficiency, our team would be happy to connect with you.

Stay one step ahead of evolving laws and regulations with easy-to-digest updates that help you protect your team and stay compliant.

The past year reinforced an important shift in employment compliance. Regulators are placing greater emphasis on how hiring decisions are made, not just the outcome. Clear procedures, consistent timing, and documented reasoning are becoming central to reducing risk. For additional perspective on emerging employment law trends, you may also reference the Employment Laws on the Horizon Report | Seyfarth Shaw LLP as a supplemental resource.

Below are several key areas employers should continue monitoring as we move through 2026.

Criminal history laws continue to evolve beyond simple timing restrictions about when you can run a background check. They increasingly affect what you may see, what you may consider, and how you must document hiring decisions.

Automated record sealing and expungement laws are expanding in many jurisdictions, reducing the availability of certain records. At the same time, fair chance laws require more structured individualized assessments before adverse action, with clear documentation of job relevance. Some jurisdictions have also clarified how noncriminal citations must be treated and expanded protections for justice-impacted individuals.

Now is a good time to review your adjudication and adverse action policies to confirm they align with current legal expectations, eliminate blanket disqualification language, incorporate individualized assessments where applicable, and support consistent and well-documented decision-making tied directly to job responsibilities.

Feel free to explore this resource as part of your compliance toolkit: Ban-the-Box Laws Continue to Spread: What HR Needs to Know 

Pay transparency requirements expanded significantly, with more states and localities requiring published salary ranges in job postings. Enforcement is increasingly focused on whether ranges are set in good faith and supported by internal compensation data. In some jurisdictions, disclosure obligations may extend to internal candidates, promotional opportunities, or remote roles that could be performed in jurisdictions with pay transparency requirements.

Employers should ensure that recruiting teams understand how salary history bans apply during interviews and informal conversations. Compensation disclosures should align with actual pay practices to reduce exposure to claims or regulatory scrutiny. Larger employers may be subject to pay data reporting requirements, increasing the importance of accurate and well-documented compensation structures.

Because compensation disclosures occur at the beginning of the hiring process, inaccuracies can create risk that extends throughout the hiring lifecycle, particularly where discrepancies between posted ranges and final offers may invite scrutiny or complaints.

Feel free to explore this resource as part of your compliance toolkit: State Laws: Pay Transparency 

Several states, cities, and counties restrict the use of credit history in employment. In many cases, credit checks are limited to positions involving financial responsibility, fiduciary duties, or roles specifically required by law to undergo such screening.

In 2025, New York enacted a statewide restriction on the use of credit history in employment. Read more here

Before ordering a credit report, employers should confirm that the role qualifies under applicable state or local law and document the business justification for doing so.

Cannabis related workplace laws continue to vary by state. While some jurisdictions preserve broad employer discretion, others protect lawful off-duty use, require specific notices, documented reasoning, or defined procedural steps before action may be taken.

Across jurisdictions, the key shift is not whether employers can test, but how decisions are justified and executed when testing is legally permitted. Employers should periodically review drug testing policies to ensure they align with state specific requirements, especially if operating across multiple jurisdictions. Clear documentation and consistent application remain essential.

Feel free to explore this resource as part of your compliance toolkit: Marijuana Rescheduling Fact Sheet - NDASA

The use of automated tools in hiring remains under close regulatory scrutiny. Several states have advanced laws or guidance addressing bias audit requirements, recordkeeping, and candidate notice obligations.

Even when vendors provide the technology, responsibility for employment decisions remains with the employer. Organizations should understand how screening tools function, confirm there is meaningful human oversight, and retain documentation that supports fair and job-related decision making.

Updates to employment verification procedures and increased enforcement activity continue to elevate immigration compliance risk. Employers should review Form I-9 requirements and remove verification rules, ensure timely reverification where required, and conduct periodic internal audits.

Care should also be taken to avoid assumptions tied to document type or national origin, as improper documentation practices can trigger discrimination claims in addition to verification penalties. Consistency and proper documentation are critical components of a defensible verification process.

Feel free to explore this resource as part of your compliance toolkit: I-9 Central | USCIS 

Across every area, the direction is consistent. Compliance expectations now center on execution. Employers are expected to follow structured processes, train hiring teams appropriately, and maintain documentation that demonstrates thoughtful and consistent decision making.

If you would like to review your screening workflows or discuss ways to strengthen documentation and process controls in 2026, our team is here to support you.

Catch us live! See where the Atlantic team is heading next and find out how to get the VIP treatment if you’ll be attending too.

The Atlantic Employee Screening team will be attending the following events in 2026, and we would love to connect with you:

- CUPA-HR Spring Conference in Louisville, KY March 29 - 31, 2026 

- PBSA Mid-Year Legislative Regulatory Conference Washington, DC March 29 - April 1, 2026

- 2026 PBC SHRM Annual Conference in West Palm Beach, FL May 20,2026

- SHRM Annual Conference in Orlando, FL June 16 - 19, 2026

- PBSA Annual Conference Arlington, TX September 27 - 29, 2026

- CUPA-HR Annual Conference and Expo in PA, October 4-6, 2026

We are also proud to share that Atlantic Employee Screening is now a member of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County. As part of this partnership, we will be actively participating in BDB events and initiatives throughout the year.

Our involvement allows us to stay closely connected to the local business community, support economic growth initiatives, and build stronger relationships with organizations across the region.

If you plan to attend any of these events, or if you are involved with the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, let us know so we can schedule time to connect in person.

We are always looking to provide content that is timely, helpful, and relevant to your needs. If there are specific topics, challenges, or insights you would like us to cover in upcoming newsletters, please let us know.

Your input helps us better support you and your team. Thank you for being part of the Atlantic Employee Screening community.