Pre-employment background checks are common. GlobalHR reports that a 2017 survey showed "background checks are nearly universal among employers, who turn to these pre-employment screenings largely to ensure the safety of their workplaces."
The type of pre-employment screenings can and will vary, depending on the workplace, but they often include drug testing, verifications, and, of course, criminal background checks.
We've discussed how random drug testing can have a positive influence on the workplace. Now, let's consider the argument for ongoing criminal monitoring in addition to pre-employment criminal background checks.
Why criminal monitoring should never really stop
Remember, criminal behavior isn't static. You might hire someone today who has a clean record, but six months from now, your employee has a run-in with the law. The employee now has a criminal record.
Of course, not all crimes result in a prison sentence or are deemed violent. And not all crimes will negatively affect that employee's position or performance. But you still should be aware of these infractions. Ongoing criminal monitoring can ensure exactly that.
Benefits of post-employment criminal monitoring
- Criminal monitoring is an excellent component of a post-hire screening program because it can help ensure workplace safety and data protection for your employees and your customers.
- Criminal monitoring is especially valuable when your staff is providing in-home services or working with vulnerable populations. Think children, the elderly, and physically or mentally challenged individuals
- Criminal monitoring is necessary in the growing "gig" economy where people often have multiple jobs. If your employee commits a crime while working at a second job, wouldn't you want to know about it in case it affects your workplace?
Ongoing criminal monitoring – how it works
Criminal monitoring is actually very simple, quick, and cost-effective. Once a pre-employment background check has been completed, which provides a "baseline" criminal history for a newly hired employee, that individual can be monitored, automatically, on a monthly basis to ensure there has been no subsequent criminal behavior.
Costs associated with continuous criminal monitoring
The monthly fee, per employee, is nominal. Not to mention it's an investment in the safety and welfare of your staff and customers. Here's how we approach it at Good Egg:
- If a change is identified versus the previous month's monitoring result, a primary source search or validator (e.g., county court, sex offender registry, etc.) will be processed and all reportable information will be delivered to the client. All validators, and associated pass-through fees, are invoiced at a pre-determined a la carte price.
- If no change is identified, only the monthly monitoring fee will be invoiced for that employee. In other words, no additional charges are applied.
Take your employee screening program to the next level. Implement ongoing criminal monitoring today and experience the many benefits a safer and more productive workforce has to offer.
Update and Bonus! We’ve written a series of blog posts on various criminal history check topics. Here's a list in case you missed any installments:
- What is a criminal background check?
- Understanding the criminal background check process
- The argument for ongoing criminal monitoring
- 7 myths about criminal record checks, busted!
- Criminal background checks—more myths and best practices
- Criminal records and employment discrimination – is it affecting you?
