As most of you realize, it is becoming increasingly more important to screen employees before they are hired to safeguard your business from theft, sexual harassment, drug and alcohol abuse, data fraud/loss, and violence.

Whether you are head of HR, a business owner, a restaurant, retail shop, medical facility, hotel, transportation company, car dealership, or casino, you need to screen employees.

Not screening can be costly…

More than 1 in 4 employers do not run employment background checks on every potential hire. This can lead to costly mistakes that could have a long-term impact on your business. According to a 2016 Career Builder Survey, 75 percent of employers said they have hired the wrong person for a position, and a bad hire costs businesses an average of $17,000 once you add up lost productivity, a compromised quality of work, and time and money spent recruiting and training new workers. 

But it must be a careful process.

Choosing an employment screening firm must be a very careful process as they are not all the same. One might handle some but not all of your needs. Another (God forbid!) might tout their DIY investigative approach. And, of course, any firm you choose should be well-versed in the legal issues that are involved—or you could be in for a surprise in the form of a lawsuit.

So what are the considerations involved in choosing the employment screening that is right for your business? First of all, you must choose the type and there are two:

• A full-service background check company that does all of the investigation work for you.

• A DIY background check website that provides instant results and allows you to conduct online searches on your own.

When using the DIY approach:

You enter the name of the person you want to search, and you are instantly provided with a variety of details, like misdemeanor and felony criminal convictions, sex offenses, arrests and plea deals, bankruptcies, civil legal judgments, address history, marriage records, Social Security number verification, and social network profiles.

But according to Sean Bigley, a Federal Security Clearance Attorney, “It is worth noting that much of the information on DIY websites is wildly inaccurate, thereby limiting the utility of the process.”

Yes, the DIY websites are cheap and easy to use, but Mr. Bigley, whose law practice focuses entirely on background investigation issues, said “businesses that use do-it-yourself websites for pre-employment background checks do so at their own risk.”

In addition, most DIY websites are not Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) compliant and have disclaimers stating that they shouldn’t be used for pre-employment screening.

Enough said about DIY employment screening. Not recommended.

Pre-employment background check companies:

Offer a comprehensive screening solution. These companies (like The Hire Authority) do all the research for you.

The types of screenings employment background check services conduct include some of the screenings promised by the DIY sites, and more, such as misdemeanor and felony criminal records searches at the county, state and national levels; sex-offender status searches; Social Security number traces and validations; employment and/or education verifications; professional license verifications; checks on references, credit reports, civil records, and motor vehicle records; military records verifications; workers’ compensation history searches; health care sanction checks; and address history checks.

The biggest advantage to using this type of company is that they are FCRA compliant. Using a company that is not FCRA compliant leaves your business open to lawsuits and fines. Other advantages are a very thorough search process and a high degree of professionalism, as well as accreditation by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners.

Once you’ve chosen the type of employment screener, you can fine-tune your choice to perfectly match your screening needs. Most importantly, you want to make sure the vendor can provide the services that you need within the turnaround time that you require at a cost you can afford.

Equally important is to make sure that the vendor is accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners. This accreditation provides assurance and protection regarding all of these key areas:

• Consumer protection

• Legal compliance

• Client education

• Researcher and data product standards

• Verification service standards

• General business practices

The two biggest repercussions of not following the laws are being sued by a job applicant and being investigated and possibly fined by a government agency, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the National Labor Relations Board.

The Hire Authority meets all of these criteria. If you are interested in an employment screening company, we’d be happy to answer all of your questions and give you a quote if you like. Call (508) 230-5901 or visit our website www.hireauth.com.

The Hire Authority can design a customized program for investigating and verifying information about new employees, so you can hire with confidence. After all, the smartest way to avoid trouble is not to hire that bad egg in the first place.

Protect yourself and your company.

The foregoing should not be construed as legal advice. Employers should always consult their own legal counsel for advice on labor and employment matters.