The threat of negligent hiring lawsuits is thought to play an important role in the widespread use of criminal background checks among US employers. This article examines the construction of negligent hiring within the trade literature of the human resources (HR) field using a qualitative content analysis. While courts tend to view criminal record checks as unnecessary for occupations that do not carry foreseeable risks, the article finds that the HR field has broadly endorsed criminal record checks as the default practice for screening job candidates. The article argues that this divergence stems from the structured uncertainty of compliance under the common law tort of negligent hiring, which shapes organizational behavior in ways that defy the substantive clarity of relevant case law.

中文翻译：

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作为规则的例外：疏忽招聘责任、结构性不确定性和美国犯罪背景调查的兴起

人们认为，疏忽招聘诉讼的威胁在美国雇主广泛使用犯罪背景调查方面发挥了重要作用。本文使用定性内容分析研究了人力资源 (HR) 领域贸易文献中疏忽招聘的构建。虽然法院倾向于认为对于不具有可预见风险的职业来说，犯罪记录检查是不必要的，但文章发现，人力资源领域已广泛认可犯罪记录检查作为筛选求职者的默认做法。本文认为，这种分歧源于普通法下的疏忽雇佣侵权行为的结构性不确定性，它以违反相关判例法的实质性明确性的方式塑造组织行为。