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Your pre-employment background screening process is like any other business process; it can be refined and improved continuously to be more effective and provide more benefits to your organization. Here are three questions you can ask your background check provider to advance your screening methods:
1. Where are We at Risk for Negligent Hiring Claims?
A thorough review of your background check process and its relation to your organization will reveal weak spots that could expose you to negligent hiring lawsuits. These claims aren’t based on what you DO know about your employees; instead, they’re based on what you SHOULD have known about your employees. For example, if an international employment verification has revealed that the candidate lacked the requisite experience to perform the job safely and an accident occurred on the job due to that inexperience, you can be held liable. Review your process regularly and carefully to make sure nothing is missed. Checkr.com saves the time and reduces your workload by the verification of your candidate’s employment history.
2. Are We Compliant?
Compliance rules are constantly in motion. That’s one of the significant benefits of using a professional screening agency; compliance is a core competency for these organizations. That said, it’s a good idea to conduct regular compliance audits to make sure you’re requesting, using, storing, and disposing of personal information according to the latest guidelines and regulations.
3. Are We Fair?
Fairness in background checks looks like the following:
● The same background checks are requested for every applicant for a given position. For example, if you are hiring drivers, you may decide you want to request a drug screen and a motor vehicle report for every applicant. You can’t choose to exclude white people, men, or folks over 50 from this requirement; screening requirements must be universally applied by position.
● You comply with ban-the-box laws. These laws eliminate the box on job applications that asks the candidate whether or not they’ve ever been convicted of a crime. Checking the “yes” box often excludes people from being considered for a job. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines state that companies should not automatically exclude anyone solely because they have a criminal record.
● In order to give every applicant a fair shot at employment, it’s essential to adjudicate criminal offenses carefully. Your adjudication process is open-minded and reasonable. Evaluating the seriousness of the offense, the time passed since the offense, efforts at rehabilitation, and the relevancy of the offense to the position will help you make fair and wise hiring decisions.
Continuous Improvement
Talk to your screening provider today about ways to refine and improve your process to achieve more efficient, more accurate, more effective results.
