Wisconsin employers are prohibited from refusing to hire an applicant or terminating an employee because that individual has an arrest or conviction record, unless the offense is substantially related to the circumstances of the job. The Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (“WFEA”) provides that it is not employment discrimination because of conviction record to refuse to employ any individual who has been convicted of any felony, misdemeanor or other offense the circumstances of which substantially relate to the circumstances of the particular job. A question on an employment application asking if an applicant has been convicted of a felony in the preceding five years is not prohibited by the WFEA. Also, nothing in the WFEA prohibits an employer from conducting background checks.
The Milwaukee area attorneys at Alan C. Olson & Associates may be able to help if you were denied employment because of your arrest or conviction record that is not related to the circumstances of the job.
