10 Things You Didnt Know About Employment Background Checks Leave a comment

In any case, it’s a good idea to research the laws and regulations in your area and find out what your legal responsibilities are. It’s up to you to decide which of these checks to run on your applicants, but you will probably want to go beyond just criminal checks. Background checks are required for newly hired faculty and staff positions serving on a temporary appointment. Student hourly positions will be subject to a Sexual Offender registry check prior to hire.

Many business owners are worried about employees stealing cash and inventory. This is a valid concern – a 2014 study by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners found that global occupational fraud totals nearly $3.7 trillion https://globalcloudteam.com/ annually. The report explains that average theft is approximately 5% of revenues each year. You have to trust them to do their jobs, to treat customers and partners with respect, and to represent your brand appropriately.

How Do I Run A Background Check On A Current Employee?

It doesn’t count as due diligence and won’t save you from liability if your applicant commits a crime on the job that you could have foreseen with a formal check. In fact, the EEOC frowns upon social media background checks because they can reveal discriminatory information (sexual orientation, religion, political affiliation, etc.) about an applicant. Internal Hiring – When a current employee is moving to a new position, many organizations chose to screen them as if they were a new hire. For example, a company may run a credit report check on someone who now will be handling business finances.

Written consent is also required if an employer will hire an outside agency to check you out. And, your written consent may be required before an employer can get other information, such as your school transcripts or detailed information on your military service. Screening backgrounds before hiring is an important step toward reducing the risk of workplace violence. And drug screening can play a role when it comes to reducing on-the-job injuries, too. Implementing new hire drug screenings at companies across numerous industries reduced worker’s compensation claims by about 50%, according to a survey conducted by SHRM. Employers have a legal obligation to create a safe workplace for employees – and it’s also in their best interest to do so.

Background check companies can offer verification checks with which they look into the education, employment history and professional licenses of an applicant. If a candidate lied about receiving a degree from a four-year institution, was less than honest about a past job title, or made up a professional license, verification checks can allow you to find out the truth. Because of the scattered nature of criminal records, you will likely have to design a meticulous system that covers as much ground as possible. You will want to run county criminal history checks where your business is based because those checks will have the highest statistical odds of turning over any red flags attached to your applicants and new hires. Considering state or multi-jurisdictional checks (e.g. searches that look beyond state lines) is worthwhile. You could even run address history checks on your applicants and then order individual county checks from each area in which the applicants have lived.

Do I Need New Disclosures And Authorizations For Ongoing & Post

At the time of offer, candidates requiring a background check will be required to complete a Background Check Authorization Form at the time of accepting his/her online offer. Upon the completion, the information is sent to an external vendor to complete that check according to the provisions outlined within the Fair Credit Reporting Act. A national sex offender check will also be made on any surnames previously used within the last seven years by the applicant. Results of background checks will not include any expunged or civil court records.

That’s because it could have found out about the employee’s previous driving record, but was negligent and failed to check. The survey also showed that managing a poor hiring choice in this respect can take 17% of a supervisor’s time (that’s almost a whole day per week!). Extra time spent managing a bad hire is less time spent on helping the business grow. Hiring someone with false credentials can directly affect your existing employees, too.

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As such, running a background check is more complicated than just typing an applicant’s name into a computer database and hitting “Enter.” Many states have additional requirements regarding whether a private employer may consider an applicant’s criminal history in making hiring decisions. Some states prohibit employers from asking about arrests that did not lead to convictions. Other states allow employers to ask about convictions only if they occurred within a certain time frame or the underlying conduct is relevant to the position. Many states have rules against asking about records that are sealed or expunged. And some states allow employers to consider criminal history only for sensitive positions, such as nurses, childcare workers, private detectives, and other jobs requiring licenses.

• Upon the completion, the information is sent to an external vendor to complete that check according to the provisions outlined within the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
• These checks can give you a window into a person’s strengths, weaknesses, character and work ethic.
• Clarifying the purpose and the process can make background checks less stressful for everyone.
• Companies have the right to screen both new hires AND current workers, but they must follow the rules.
• Background checks are required for newly hired faculty and staff positions serving on a temporary appointment.

According to Fast Company, one quarter of companies surveyed estimated that a bad hire cost them at least $50,000 in the past year. A bad hire results in lost time and expenses due to the need to recruit and train another new hire, as well as a negative impact on employee morale and a decrease in overall team and company productivity. Some units elect to complete a background check prior to making a verbal offer although it is not required by policy. However, all verbal offers made are conditional based upon the candidate’s successful completion of the background check. Many employers neglect to consider other forms of potential theft, such as cybercrime, which can affect companies across all industries. The Computer Security Institute estimates that disgruntled ex-employees are hacking employers at unprecedented rates.

You can do your best to be aware of such potential problems by conducting a thorough screening of a new hire. Examining work history gaps and reasons for leaving a job can help determine whether a candidate is a risk. If a candidate left a job without another job lined up or another explanation for the gap, it would be worthwhile to inquire about the reason for the departure.

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You can usually get more information by hiring a background check company to run the employment verification check because there is more anonymity involved in the process. While pre-employment background checks are critical, they only serve to provide a snapshot in time of a candidate. Over the course of a month, a year or several years concerning behaviors can creep up that greatly impact an employee’s ability to do his/her job. Regularly scheduled background re-checks are an effective means of maintaining a safe workplace, mitigating risk and ensuring that employees are living up to your company’s standards. The top misconception about background checks is that there is a single ultimate database out there that includes all of the criminal records ever filed in the United States. The truth is that criminal records are scattered across thousands of different databases from county courts to federal criminal databases.

Companies have the right to screen both new hires AND current workers, but they must follow the rules. The Employer’s Legal HandbookWage laws, employee benefits, and everything… While some inaccuracies involve things like minor date discrepancies, and therefore probably won’t have a negative effect on work performance or company image, others are more serious. You might remember the case of former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson, who landed in the headlines for allegedly misrepresenting his college degrees. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property.

Does An Employer Need My Consent For A Background Check?

Taking every reasonable step to keep employees, customers, and clients safe makes business sense – and it’s the right thing to do. As you can see, it’s time to seriously consider implementing background checks as part of your hiring process. You have enough to do in your day without having to worry about your business or people being in jeopardy due to untrustworthy new hires. Even though this leaves some information an employer can gather on its own, smart employers always ask applicants for permission before conducting a background check. This prevents later claims that the employer violated applicant privacy; it also saves the employer time by letting applicants take themselves out of the running right away if there are things in their past they want to keep private. Therefore, running a background check is a surefire method to ensure you are hiring a candidate based on facts, giving you peace of mind and ensuring no time or effort go wasted.

Some employers run very extensive background checks on job applicants, including asking other people about an applicant’s character, activities, and past drug use, for example. For instance, if the employer is a government contractor and its employees will need security clearances to do their jobs, a detailed check might make sense. However, a background check that is too intrusive to be reasonable for the job in question could violate an applicant’s privacy rights, especially if the employer doesn’t get consent first. Many employees remain with an organization for five, ten or even forty years, and lots can happen during that time. Plus, it’s easier than you might think for workers to hide arrests, court dates and convictions. Ongoing screening options, like continuous criminal record monitoring and driver record monitoring, can alert businesses to potential problems throughout a worker’s tenure.

Funding for the background check will be asked at the time the position is posted by your Recruitment and Onboarding or Shared Service Center Representative. Candidates completing the Background Authorization Form at the time of accepting the online offer will not need to provide any additional information unless there is a discrepancy found on the background check. Depending upon the nature of the conviction identified, a meeting with a Human Resources official may be requested.

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Best practice would be to have an upfront and established policy in which employees are fully aware that re-checks are done in a fair and consistent manner. It never hurts to provide advance notice to an employee that you are conducting a re-check and to renew their disclosure and authorization at that time as well. To maintain regulatory compliance, many employers, such as those in the medical and transportation industries, are required to conduct routine post-hire background checks on current employees.

Moreover, this permission must be granted in a standalone form, which means that you can’t just have your applicant sign a blanket permission form or contract when submitting a job application. The good news is that there are background check companies out there that will be happy to help you design a system that works for your business. The bad news is that background screenings are surrounded by misconceptions and misunderstandings. Here’s everything you might not know about background checks – and how to develop a strong job screening process.

To find out your state’s rules, see State Laws on Use of Arrests and Convictions. Many employers are required to conduct post-hire re-checks due to federal and state mandates. Other companies choose to conduct on-going background checks when an employee is promoted or as a matter of internal policy. Whatever your situation, Justifacts offer several post-hire background checks including batch uploads and automated reminder notices to ease your burden.

But according to a SHRM study, 36% of employers reported workplace violence incidents. These incidents result in physical or emotional harm to employees and customers as well as negative repercussions to the company. Talent acquisition and talent management both require a huge investment monitoring development background of time and resources, so it makes sense to do your due diligence before bringing a new hire on board. This includes confirming what’s stated on résumés – from education to work experience to certifications and awards – as well as verifying the criminal history of the individual.

Because of this variation, it’s a good idea to consult with a lawyer if you believe a prospective employer has violated your privacy. A lawyer can help you assess your chances in court and help you negotiate a reasonable settlement with an employer who may have crossed the line. It depends on the information the employer wants and who is going to gather it.

Using a background check service like GoodHire to verify education, employer history, and professional licenses earned helps you confirm candidate qualifications and move forward with certainty. The idea of the “social media background check” has become increasingly popular in recent years. However, looking up your applicants on Facebook doesn’t qualify as a background check.

Here’s a brief overview of the background check process for current employees. You should always have legal counsel review your background check process to ensure total compliance with both state and federal laws. Furthermore, there are states that require new disclosure and authorizations each time you run a background check on an employee. Although there are a few clear rules, privacy matters are typically decided through the application of a balancing test. The court will consider your reasonable expectations of privacy in the particular areas the employer checked; against that, the court will consider the employer’s reasons for seeking the information. Then the employer will decide, on balance, whose arguments should carry the day.

Legally speaking, educational records – including recommendations, financial information, and transcripts – are typically confidential. As a result, most schools will not release records without the consent of the student . However, if the employer is entitled to the information it seeks, the employer is also entitled to take you out of the running if you won’t consent. In other words, the employer can refuse to hire you – or even consider you for the position – if you don’t consent to a reasonable request. On the other hand, if the company didn’t check, and there were previous license suspensions, the company could be found liable for the injury.

Requiring background checks for prospective new hires also puts the University in compliance with Kansas Board of Regents policy, Section II.F.2.f. Since background checks are so common for jobs these days, some employers make the mistake of thinking they are a natural and expected part of the process. Keep in mind that if you want to run a background check on an applicant, you must get their express written permission to do so.

Reference check questions and background checks tend to get lumped together because they are both part of the pre-employment screening process. When you contact a reference, you are asking to hear insights about an applicant from a previous boss, colleague, professor, supervisor or partner. These checks can give you a window into a person’s strengths, weaknesses, character and work ethic.