If your company is conducting employee background checks in Buffalo, NY, you may wonder how often you should screen your workers. Is a single screening during the hiring process enough? Or, should you be checking up on your employees more frequently?
The correct answer depends on your industry and your organization.
The Benefits of Ongoing Background Checks
Remain Knowledgeable About Your Employees
At best, background screening is a snapshot in time. Lots can change during the ten, twenty or even forty years an individual is with your organization. Major life events such as divorce, financial problems or substance abuse can put people under enormous pressure and change their risk profile. You may think you keep open lines of communication with your team, but workers could easily hide their problems if they felt embarrassed or were worried about losing their job.
Protect Your Company
Staying regularly informed about your employees’ actions outside of the workplace can help to keep everyone safer, reduce the risk of theft and maintain your organization’s reputation. In some cases, laws or/and industry regulations mandate periodic screening. For example, many insurance carriers will require annual motor vehicle record searches on those who operate company vehicles.
The Benefits of Single Background Checks
Show Respect for Your Team
Many organizations choose to trust their workers to self-report any problems. They place a high value on their rigorous hiring processes and/or a culture that encourages people to do the right thing. You may feel constant surveillance is over the top and jeopardizes employee engagement.
Save Time and Money
Depending on the frequency, company-wide recurring background checks may not be cost effective. Ongoing screenings must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws as well as state and local legislation. Your organization either must keep on top of current regulations and paperwork or pay someone to do this for you. Also, extensive reporting may uncover facts not related to job performance, so you’ll end up spending money on information you don’t need.
Best Practices
Develop the Right Policy for Your Organization
What’s right for one company isn’t necessarily right for another. Conducting continuous criminal record searches on home health care workers may be responsible but running annual academic verification on call center employees would be excessive. Decide what makes sense and what’s feasible.
Keep Your Employees Informed
Don’t forget. You can’t run background checks secretly. According to the FCRA, businesses must receive written consent from workers for both one-time and ongoing screenings. As part of the hiring process, thoroughly explain your policies and rationale. Let candidates know how often and what types of checks you run in addition to what specific conditions would be grounds for dismissal. Being up front from the start helps to combat confusion and resentment.
What’s the Right Background Screening Program for You?
If you aren’t sure, give us a call. Metrodata Services is Western New York’s leading employment screening provider. We would be happy to develop a customized program to best fit your needs.