1. Is screening legal?
The concept of screening has been a viable part of the business world since the inception of industry. It has always been an accepted practice for a business to search the background of an applicant to insure that the most qualified and trustworthy person be hired. As with nearly everything, however, this practice can be abused on both sides of the fence; but this abuse does not preclude the legality of the concept of background screening.
2. Does screening invade privacy?
Background screening has to do with the public life of an individual as it is found in various public documents and places, not their private life. Also, there are very stringent laws and regulations both at the federal level and state that oversee the practice and industry of background screening. It is mandated that businesses obtain a waiver signed by the applicant prior to any screening being done. These help insure that matters of one’s personal history that are not job related remain private and in the possession of the applicant.
3. Is screening cost effective?
In the age of computers and specialists along with the foundation of free market economics, the value and the quality of background screening has improved tremendously over the years. In determining cost effectiveness, the expense of having to replace employees that do not perform to expectations and the possibility of huge lawsuits brought about by unknown criminal elements being hired must also be weighed against the far lesser cost of doing a background check.
4. Does screening discourage good applicants?
Screening should encourage those who have nothing to hide and are more than willing to share with a perspective employer their past accomplishments. It encourages good applicants in that it eliminates competition from the dishonest, the seedy and the criminals who may also have filled out an application. It also tells the good applicant that the company is very concerned in hiring the best that it can.
5. Does screening delay hiring?
With the sophisticated computer technology that is available today the time frame for completing most reports is generally no longer than 3 days. With the use of huge proprietary criminal databases the reports are instantaneous. Delays, however, can occasionally occur due to unforeseen circumstances such as calls not being returned or records not being readily available. Forms are also available allowing an applicant to be hired with the understanding that if the background check shows a valid negative reason against the applicant that the applicant can at that time be terminated.
6. Does safe hiring have to be outsourced to be effective?
Not on all levels or degrees, but with the concept of DUE DILIGENCE it is important that commercial companies seek and obtain the most thorough and best information available. With the advent of specialized background screening companies it is often the case that with their resources and expertise, a commercial company would literally have to create a separate division equal to these screening companies in order to obtain the same quality reports. Even with that, all available reports may not be accessible to a commercial company. For instance, one of the most powerful new proprietary criminal databases would not be directly available to such companies. Therefore, to perform DUE DILIGENCE in today’s competitive fast-paced computerized business world it would be very cost effective to outsource this need of your company.
7. If we outsource, is it difficult to implement?
Most background companies have similar implementation methods. Generally there is a registration that must be filled out to become a client and have full use of the system. Traditional screening is accomplished many times via a fax, where information is transferred back and forth. 3D Church Check is completely computerized. Registration is done electronically and for those using our Anytime Service, reports are transmitted and returned via the internet. Registering with 3D Church Check takes approximately 10 minutes; to order our most used report, First Look™, takes approximately 2 minutes from start to finish.
8. Do we risk being sued by an applicant?
Unfortunately, we are living in a very litigious time, people sue over almost anything for almost any reason. However, taking the proper precautions by using a reputable screening company and keeping and validating all pertinent data and records, is a strong deterrent to an employee attempting to bring a lawsuit against you.
9. Is safe hiring practices worth the time and energy given all that an employer must do?
As employee payroll is generally the largest single expense that a company will have, it is wise to ensure that your investment is well spent. You are invited to our “Why Check Backgrounds” page for just a few examples of what can happen with negligent hiring practices.