Are You Making These ‘Background Check’ Mistakes Without Even Knowing It?
Having the right background screening policies at work is crucial to avoid bad hires and maintain the quality of your workforce. But with the background screening process becoming more intricate and the screening laws more stringent than ever, employers are becoming increasingly prone to making a wrong while hiring candidates. Here are the most common mistakes employers make while conducting background checks. Interestingly, many employers continue making these mistakes without even knowing it.
1. Missing a Standard Background Screening Policy
Having a standard documented screening policy for different job titles makes sure that every candidate goes through the same background checks before getting roped in for a position. The employers should make a conscious effort to document standard screening policies and get it embedded in their hiring process.
2. Not Involving Applicants
As per Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), employers need to take the written consent of the candidates before running a background check on them. FCRA also makes it mandatory for the employers to duly inform the candidates how the background check affected their hiring decision. Doing so enable the candidates to explain or rectify erroneous information.
3. Not Screening Contingent Workers
With access to company records and facilities, contingent workers such as temps, vendors and contractors can pose as much risk to the company’s security as permanent employees. In spite of this fact, only one in three employers choose to run background checks on their extended workforce. To ensure internal security, employers need to have a standard screening program for screening contingent workers.
4. Not Cross Checking the Information
Many employers base their hiring decision almost entirely upon the information provided by the candidate. You can’t expect all your candidates to be honest enough to disclose sensitive information such as criminal history, reckless driving records, or financial contingencies. To get a complete picture, it’s imperative to establish a clear link between what the candidates claim and what is truth.
5. Treading Into the No Entry Zone
With the social media becoming ubiquitous, the line between what’s private and what’s not is getting blurred. In the pursuit of knowing the potential candidates better, many employers run into the risk of meddling with the privacy laws. It’s important to avoid making incorrect assumptions or misinterpret information based on candidates’ social media information.
6. Failing to Observe Compliance With the Law
In many U.S. states, Equal Employment Opportunity Act has put a leash on employers from enquiring about the candidates’ criminal background. The employers need to ensure that their workforce screening program is in compliance with federal and state laws.
7. Depending Solely on Automated Background Verification
Sometimes employers make the mistake of relying too much on the automated screening processes. Screening is an intricate process and needs human intervention to extract accurate and consolidated data from the information at hand.
Being mindful of these common mistakes can go a long way in helping the employers to create effective standard screening programs. By avoiding these common mistakes employers can make the best of screening and build a safe and smart workplace.