As the year winds down, something on the minds of many HR professionals is whether they have the hiring and retention practices in place they’ll need for 2019. This evaluation begins with a critical look at their current background screening provider, as well as one important question:
Will my current background check service provider help protect the safety and productivity of my company post hire, or does their support end once the hiring process is complete?
The reality is that while more and more employers are interested in monitoring their employees after they're hired, it’s still not a service that all background check companies provide. But, with the risk an applicant poses to your company increasing after the hire date, it’s a service that can be critical to your company’s safety, and productivity, and bottom line.
Pre-employment Background Checks vs. Continuous Monitoring Programs
Results from Career Builder's 2016 survey reveal that 72% of employers use pre-employment background checks to vet out new hires, so it’s pretty clear that most companies understand the value of these programs in protecting the productivity and safety of their workforce.
These one-time checks can include a wide range of historical screens – from a look into someone’s past criminal behavior to a verification of their education, employment, and professional credentials.
Some of these checks do not need to be repeated; after all, a person’s educational or employment history isn’t going to change. But what about their criminal or motor vehicle history? Those records can change at any time – but if you aren’t actively monitoring or rescreening your employees, you may not be aware of criminal convictions or unsafe driving patterns until long after they occur.
That’s where continuous monitoring and rescreening programs come in. With these programs, you can either rescreen employees at regular intervals or continuously monitor their criminal, motor vehicle or sanctions records and receive alerts when new information is found.
What Does Your Current Screening Provider Offer?
Although the demand for these services is rapidly increasing, continuous monitoring and rescreening programs still aren’t offered by many background screening providers. If you want the option of adding these programs to your current background screening program, it’s important that you find out what is available through your current provider – so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not they’ll meet your needs in 2019.
Some questions to ask include:
- Do you have any post-hire screening programs?
- What assistance will you provide in helping me customize a continuous monitoring or rescreening program for my business?
- Do you have a thorough understanding of the employment and background screening laws I must comply with to run these screens in my company?
- How do you keep your clients updated on important legal changes?
Once you’ve had a conversation with your current provider, you can start making decisions about the upcoming year – and if necessary, start vetting providers that will better meet your hiring and retention needs.
