5 things every HR should know about Background Checks

It is important for any organisation to conduct proper background checks on prospective employees to ensure only the right candidates are hired. Background checks of potential employees can prove to be an eye-opening and useful tool for all types and sizes of business. They can actually help HR with making the right decisions on hiring, employee transfers, and promotions.

It is equally important for HR to understand that handling employee background should adhere to the set government rules and regulations.

FIVE aspects for every HR to be aware of to conduct a proper background check

1. Inform the person about conducting of background check clearly while he or she submitting an employment application. Candidate should be notified as to how the decision to hire will get affected based on the background check report. The information is to be separately supplied and not get buried in the agreement or application.
2. Get written consent from the potential employee to conduct background checks.

• If any potential employee does not consent to the background check, it raises a few red flags.
• Only those applicants submitting background checks should be considered for the job.

3. For high risk/profile positions, consider investigative report: These are termed to be thorough background checks which include inquiry of the candidate’s reputation and character. It is by conducting interviews with the acquaintances of the applicant that information is to be derived. Hence, the reports may be expensive to obtain when compared to any average background check and the results are to be shared with the employee on request.

4. Understand what constitutes discrimination: Information derived from potential/existing employee background check should not be kept in a discriminatory manner. It is necessary to abide by the government set guidelines, with regards to religion, age, medical history, disability, sex and race.

5. Inform applicants of their unsatisfactory report: If the decision is taken against promoting or hiring candidates based upon background check report derived, then it is essential to inform the same to them and also provide report copy. Besides this, the information needs to be passed on prior to making the final decision.

Bonus: Different background check types

There are several types of background checks that are considered to be a part of it and can be conducted on the potential employees. The HR professional needs to adhere to the governing laws of the land and abide by it at all times, to ensure the correct and legal recruitment process. Few of the popular background check types conducted by HR’s across the globe are:

• Workers’ compensation records
• School records
• Military service
• Medical records
• Lie detector test
• Criminal record
• Credit report

Therefore, the information gained from these checks is sure to be invaluable to the organisation.

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PS: This article is originally posted on https://www.cleard.life.