Industry Update
WHEN HIRING CONTRACT EMPLOYEES . . . DON’T FORGET ABOUT BACKGROUND CHECKS.
While more and more companies today are conducting background checks on their new hires, many are forgetting to require the same of their contract employees. Contract staff, whether working on-site or off, are essentially working on behalf of your company, and may include, but not be limited to, such workers as temp-to-perm or on-site vendors. Why not require these types of staff to adhere to the same background standards you require of your own employees? The answer is – you shouldn’t!
Equally as
important as the fact that contract workers should be
background checked is knowing the level of screening that the
contractors are performing. Too many companies are willing to accept, at face value, their contractors’ claims of performing background checks and are satisfied with that. Don’t assume that their screening criteria and hiring standards are comparable to yours. Best practice would indicate that you:
- Share with the
contractor your specific screening requirements. If your
requirements for a specific job function are to conduct a 7
Year Criminal Record search in all counties identified in an
address history search, ask them to mirror these standards.
If you include alias names, make sure that is included as
well.
- Make sure that your search definitions are
the same. There are too many misconceptions,
misrepresentations and misunderstandings about what various
searches include and it is important that everyone is on the
same page.
A point of caution: A common
misconception among employers is that you automatically have
the right to review the background check of a candidate your
contractor has screened. Do not make this assumption. The FCRA prohibits a company from sharing with another party any consumer report ordered on an applicant for purposes related to employment without the signed consent of the applicant. Therefore unless specific consent has been granted to you by the contractor candidate, you do not have the right to review the report. How do you ensure that the standards you’ve set forth for the contractor are met? You essentially have three options:
-
Communicate your hiring
standards for what constitutes an acceptable candidate, cede
control of the process to your contractor and have them
certify with each candidate/contract employee they place
with you that the individual has met your standards
or
-
Consult an employment attorney
who can modify the Applicant Release form to legally allow
you to review such information.
-
Use the
Integrated Screening Partners Co-op Screening® system which
allows member companies to have access to vendor companies’
screening reports. This screening service reduces redundant
searches by requiring a single background screen per
contractor staff member, versus multiple screens on the same
contractor staff in order to accommodate multiple clients.
This type of screening system standardizes the background
search criteria, is FCRA compliant with regard to
third-party access to reports and has an annual
“re-screening” component for added peace-of-mind. The ISP
Co-op Screening® system is an effective, efficient and cost
saving alternative for both vendors and their
clients.
Obviously, open and direct communication with
regard to working with contracting companies is key to
ensuring that your standards are being upheld. A formal and
contractually-accepted understanding of expectations with
clearly defined parameters is essential in avoiding problems
down the road.
For more information on background screening
for contractors, or to find out more about Integrated
Screening Partners’ “Co-op Screening Plan,” email us at
info@integratedscreening.com or contact one of our employment
screening specialists at 800-474-4420 option 4.
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