Employee Background Screening is on the Rise

Employee Background Screening is on the Rise

In line with this indisputable trend, more and more background check services are offering social media and online searches. According to https://unmask.com, the number of employers taking steps to ensure these searches don’t violate the rules of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is increasing as well.

Through social media screening, employers can minimize risk for the company. We read stories about people getting into trouble with their boss over social media posts on practically a daily basis. Recruiters know they shouldn’t ignore social media as a rich source of information. However, such searches can lead to potential liability issues. There could be problems related to discrimination, accuracy, and privacy.

Not all employers turn to a third-party background check service. To save time and money, many of them conduct their own searches on job applicants. This can lead to a minefield of liability and needs to stop, according to experts. The risk of a discrimination claim is far greater than the extra charge incurred by a social media check.

Discrimination Issues

Companies risk facing a discrimination lawsuit if it seems to an applicant they decided not to employ them based on a bad impression associated with religion, gender, or race. The best way to avoid liability is to get a third party to conduct a search if a company wants a social media screening. Background check services that carry out such screenings have to generate accurate reports in compliance with the FCRA. It’s important to choose a reputable provider.

To protect the company from a discrimination suit, social media screenings won’t reveal whether someone is Christian, a veteran, or gay. These reports will only indicate instances of offensive and actionable data, such as sexist comments, violent behavior, or criminal activity.

Tips for Employers

Companies must take care to protect applicant privacy. Only publicly accessible, user-generated information should be used for social media screenings. Neither password-protected sites nor third-party content should be used. Public social media profiles are accessible to everyone who wants to see them, including prospective employers. An employer can use any information they find on one. However, they are not allowed to bypass private social media settings without running the risk of being exposed to liability down the line.

Screening Benefits

According to a recent report, the number of companies ordering national sex offender checks increased by 46 percent in 2019 y/y. However, the main reason employee background screening is on the rise is that most employers want to confirm the facts candidates present. This is only logical. Companies want to create a safe workplace and protect themselves from liability.

Background verification protects recruiters from making poor hiring decisions and assesses an applicant’s character, making it an effective way to mitigate risk. This approach is brought to another level through continuous background screening, a trend that’s gaining popularity.

What is Continuous Background Screening?

Facts like employment history and education credentials will not change over the course of someone’s professional development. However, things like credit reports, driving records, and criminal records can and do. Having the right talent is a critical factor as many companies place talent at the heart of their development strategy. Companies want to ensure consistent monitoring with workplace fraud, embezzlement, and harassment leading to concerns about workforce quality.

Continuous background screening is a strategy to avoid potential problems. This is achieved by real-time employee record monitoring, which helps employers address safety concerns and see potential red flags. This type of screening is done in real-time post-hire, and the whole workforce is subject to it.

Corporations like Uber have announced plans to carry out continuous checks. Uber is getting continuous drivers record updates through a background check service they’ve contracted, including updates on license suspensions and new criminal violations. If a driver is charged with a misdemeanor or felony, Uber is alerted by smart technology.

Downsides of Screening

Nothing is perfect, including screening. One big downside is finding too much information about someone on social networks. An employer will learn a lot of things from a candidate’s social media profile, from their posts and photos, which they don’t necessarily need to know. What is more, a hiring decision cannot be based on this information legally. A job candidate can sue a company on grounds of discrimination if they find they were rejected based on ethnicity, national origin, gender, religion, race, or any other feature included in the scope of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.