Background Checks: DYI or Outsource
There’s no arguing that conducting background checks on new hires is a good business practice. The problem is that many employers have trouble deciding whether they should hire an outside company to handle the investigation or if they should do it themselves.
Companies that decide to conduct their background checks on their own often chose to do so to save money. Since a lot of small businesses don’t have the budget to hire an outside organization to handle their investigations, this can make a lot of sense. Many criminal records are consider open to the public, but conducting background checks without the help of an outside company can have its down side.
Problems can arise when a business decides to handle these investigations themselves. Since they often don’t have experience conducting background checks, employers often miss certain information. There can also be legal ramifications if a dangerous individual slips by or a hiring decision is reached by using information that may be accessible but protected under laws governing background checks. Employers who decide to take this route should make sure to obtain written permission from applicants, look into FCRA laws and document everything found.
Hiring an outside company to handle background checks can eliminate the risk of accidentally breaking the law. Since professional firms are accustomed to handling these investigations, they can get all the relevant information quickly.
This can severely reduce the time it takes to make a hiring decision, which save a business money and helps them run more efficiently. Using an outside company to conduct background checks also frees up the employee that would be handling the investigation if the office decided to do it themselves.
The decision comes down to the company’s priorities. The choice to save money can cost valuable employee time and, in some drastic cases, legal fees but hiring a professional service is more expense.
For businesses that can not afford to outsource for their background checks, having their hiring manger look into applicants’ pasts certainly beats not having any information a potential employee. After all, it’s easy for an applicant to hide the skeletons in their closet long enough to complete an interview. The only to safeguard a workplace from a variety of problems is to conduct background checks on would-be employees.