Over the past few years, an ever-increasing number of employers have instituted an employee background screening process. It was reported in 2021 that 93% of businesses ran background screenings on prospective employees.
In the wake of the pandemic, employers and workers continue to regroup with ebbs and flows in the marketplace that keeps everyone on their toes. Businesses and HR leaders need to remain vigilant in their approach to the hiring process to protect customers, other employees and their organization’s reputation.
What does that mean for the future of background screening? Let’s explore where things are heading in the world of employee screenings and verifications.
What Is Background Screening?
Background screening is a process that involves research that helps employers properly vet job candidates. While some employers conduct these screenings on their own, more business leaders are engaging expert third-party background screening companies to do this crucial work.
Professionals in the background check industry understand legal compliance issues and can quickly and effortlessly tap into reliable resources such as public records, credit bureaus, law enforcement, the BMV, educational institutions and previous employers to fully vet candidates.
How Do Employers Use Background Screenings During the Hiring Process?
Employers incorporate background screenings into the hiring process for a few reasons. First, in a competitive job market, employers need a full picture of each candidate, clarifying and validating their reported background, education and experience.
Further, employers need to know if there are any potential liabilities that a candidate might fail to report before hiring them and putting other employees and customers at risk in any capacity.
The fact is that, many times, background screenings do expose unreported issues in a candidate’s history. With 38% of adults admitting to résumé and job application embellishments and 53% of job applications containing inaccurate information, conducting an in-depth background screening can spare employers the risk of anything from hiring someone without valid qualifications to avoiding employee theft, workplace violence or driving accidents.
What Is the Future of Background Screenings?
It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the entire hiring landscape. Business leaders and HR departments continually need to reevaluate hiring practice as the workforce continues to evolve with changing dynamics and conditions, such as increasing remote and hybrid working options for some employees, while also managing on-site staff.
Employers and HR teams face unprecedented changes and challenges in ensuring peak productivity, work quality and safety for everyone.
Here are some top background screening issues and trends your business might face in the coming year and beyond:
- Investing in HR technology to resolve today’s unique hiring challenges
- Navigating legal issues regarding questions regarding salary history in efforts to achieve pay equity
- Conducting continuous employee background screenings to minimize ongoing risk with current employees and to validate an employer’s choice of candidate for a high-level promotion
- Relying on third-party background screening experts to ensure candidate transparency
GVN Will Always Keep Your Business Up to Speed on Background Screenings
Our Global Verification Network (GVN) team of expert investigators is here to quickly and thoroughly conduct any background screenings you need to ensure you have up-to-date and accurate facts about promising candidates. We are here to dig deeper and get the full picture so you can hire with confidence, knowing you will keep your employees, customers and business reputation secure.
Contact us to learn about our innovative solutions that we offer and customize to your specifications to ensure you and your candidates can look forward to a long professional engagement without any unpleasant surprises.