How to Set Up An Effective Background Screening Policy?

In the present day, most companies use background screening to hire employees. Background screening can be defined as identity searches, drug, criminal, and assessment testing, employment verification, and education verification of an applicant's background. A company must ensure that their background screening policy is effective in preventing bad employees. This is crucial to the background screen policy success.

What is Background Screening Policy?

Background screening policies for contractors, general employers, and hospitals provide guidelines on how applicants' background should be screened or checked as part of a company's employment process. Some applicants lie about their backgrounds and exaggerate their accomplishments in an effort to appear more qualified for the position they are looking for.

A thorough background report check can give crucial background data of an applicant's (previous employment record and employment history, federal regulations breaches, public records, arrest records, driving records, illegal behavior, criminal records, identity verification, drug abuse records, conviction records, credit report and credit history, etc) that helps companies make knowledgeable hiring decisions. Employers who fail to conduct background screenings could be held responsible for negligent hiring if they hire incompetent employees.

To specify the processes to be followed during background checks, human resource specialists and companies can create a solid background screening policy. Pre-employment screening will be effective and lawful thanks to this.

A policy for employee background screening includes guidelines that will guide how background screenings are conducted during the hiring process. It must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other applicable laws and helps in making informed hiring decisions resulting in negligent hiring liability.

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The "How-To" Guideline for Creating The Best Background Screening Policy for Employers

Ask Questions!

To ensure that pre-employment background checks are successful, employers must assess the following questions:

1. Are our pre-employment screening policies informing us of important information?
2. Are the policies appropriate to the job that the applicant is being considered for?
3. Is the policy intended to guard against violent, unfit, or unqualified hirings?
4. Are we sure that it is fair? doesn't discriminate against protected classes.

To ensure that your employment screening is effective, it's crucial to keep within these parameters.

Set Up Perimeters!

This step-by-step guide will help you to create your employment background screening policy.

1. Be consistent: Decide who to screen and what information you need about each applicant. Also, determine which verification or tests you will order for each individual. This plan should be outlined in a pre-employment screening strategy.
2. Be suspicious: It's a fact that approximately half of all job applications and resumes contain a false statement. These can include lying about criminal history records, faking employment dates or creating false references. Take a critical look at the resumes and make sure you verify any relevant information by asking legal questions, history about criminal convictions, etc.
3. Be relevant: An applicant for a job as a heavy machine driver might not require a credit check. However, he would still need to have a Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) check completed and a drug screen. You should establish the appropriate screening for each job in your company. This will help you maintain workplace practices that are fair and protect your employees.
4. Complete it: The cost of hiring the wrong person, and then having them leave is conservatively calculated at 25%. Having a thorough background check and verifying all information of offenders can provide a huge return on investment to protect the company from hiring inefficient applicants.
5. Be precise: Remember that the accuracy and completeness of the data you have collected on the candidate depend entirely on the source. Don't ask for background screening to be done by someone else in your office.

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The Key Takeaway

A consistent policy for employment background checks can help you ensure compliance with all applicable laws. This will help you to reduce risk and minimize potential losses.

A solid pre-employment screening policy is essential to a successful and safe hiring process. It is important to establish a standard and to revisit it regularly to ensure that the policy has a positive impact on the workplace. Background checks for employees require companies to have extensive resources, and may take longer than expected.

Hiring a seasoned background screening company should be a top priority if you want to create a policy that works. EBS-Colorado is accredited by NAPBS and have private investigators. We provide customizable solutions for the background check process from which you can choose your preferred package. EBS-Colorado is a contract agency that provides pay-per-report background screening solution services for all your background screening requirements.

We are the best background screening providers in all of Colorado. Credit to our expert team of professionals who are trained in full background screening of your applicants. We have access to trustworthy and reliable databases that we use in all our criminal background checks and generate the background check report. We swiftly execute pre-employment drug tests, drug screening, criminal searches, fake degrees, and background checks using cutting-edge research techniques and contemporary technology. This ensures compliance with all applicable laws. We keep up-to-date with any changes in the laws.

2023-04-05 14:39:14