Employment Background Checks After Hire: Why Rescreening Matters

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Most HR managers are starting to think about planning for the new year. Setting goals, enhancing retention, and revisiting costs usually make the new year checklist. Though these are all important items to check off the list to start the new year on the right foot, rescreening current employees is an important consideration that often goes overlooked. According to a survey conducted by SHRM, only 15% of respondents said they rescreen employees annually—meaning that important information often goes unfound for employees who have been on the job for several years, leaving other employees and internal data vulnerable. 

Rescreening current employees provides employers with updated employee information, helps maintain a safe workplace, and ensures current employees are still qualified for their roles. If it’s been a while since you conducted annual background checks, you may want to revisit your rescreening program to ensure it aligns with your vision moving into 2025. Let’s look at some changes employers might consider by rebooting annual employee rescreens. 

Rescreening current employees where they are at  

Remote work and relocation have proved to be more than just a trend. USPS change-of-address requests show that 28.3 million address changes were processed in 2023 alone– so if your background check program is only running broad searches for records in the places where employees previously lived or where they live currently, records could easily go unfound.   

Do you have more employees working remotely in 2024 and plans for remote positions moving into the new year? You might consider expanding your criminal history checks to include more locations. This search can include additional counties in county-level background checks. You may also consider other ways to locate criminal records, such as statewide, federal, or national criminal database searches. Other sources, like driving record checks, may return important records that other background checks won’t find. 

Other places to look when rescreening 

Rescreening goes beyond where employees have lived and have moved to. What current employees are doing daily can uncover important insights that can significantly impact your business, too. 

Social Media Checks 

Many employers now use social media screenings to search publicly available online profiles. This check looks for potentially risky content posted by employees or candidates. A  social media record screening looks at publicly available information on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others to glean character insights. You may uncover web content that is derogatory, hostile, coarse, or defamatory. 

The reason employers might conduct social media screenings during their annual background checks are: 

  • They want to maintain a safe workplace and positive company culture. 
  • They want to avoid continued relationships with individuals that present a risk to their brand and bottom line. 
  • It meets employees where they may spend a lot of their time. 

Driving Records

Although a lot of employees have relocated due to flexible remote work, many still drive daily as part of their jobs, creating potential risks for employers. In fact, car accidents are the leading cause of workplace deaths in the United States. 

Due to the risks driving presents, employers often rescreen driving records even if it’s not a compliance requirement. Here are a few reasons employers choose to conduct regular driving rechecks on their employees:

  • More control over driver safety and company reputation: Samba Safety shows that a history of negligent driving can increase the likelihood of a crash by 64%. The ability to act fast means that unsafe drivers can be suspended before it happens again if needed. 
  • Reduced administrative time: The same study from SambaSafety shows that employers save an average of $50,000 annually just from the time saved alone on manual rechecks – not to mention time filling out paperwork for accidents you never saw coming. 
  • Big savings: Employers with employees who drive as part of the job know that the cost of an accident, whether frequent or infrequent, can quickly outweigh the cost of automated driver monitoring. A study by The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety shows that U.S. employers lost $72.2 billion in 2019 alone to employee traffic accidents. 

Social media and driving record checks are just two simple ways that employers can save overall and protect a company’s reputation. By modernizing your rescreening stack with new tools and types of background checks, you can uncover more relevant records and add a new layer of protection for your organization.

A new year calls for new technology  

Rescreening current employees may sound like a lot of extra work, but a lot can happen over the years that turn quickly into safety issues and affect your bottom line, too. 

The good news is that with the right team and technology on your side, rescreening doesn’t have to be such a hassle. Having the right processes, tools, and support upfront can make a major difference. If your company is adapting policies to how employees live and work, consider how you might adjust your background rescreening program. Do your checks line up to the amount of change your employees may have experienced over the year?

A new approach to background checks  

Taking the time to reevaluate your needs and how you might improve empowers your hiring team to create the best version of your annual employee rescreening program. You might also feel more confident as you continue through the year!

Update your background screening program in 2024. Contact One Source today to learn more about getting started with post-hire rescreens.

 

Keeping Up with FCRA Compliance Requirements

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HR leaders have to stay in front of a lot of regulatory concerns. Maintaining compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) with background checks is undoubtedly one of them.

FCRA in the beginning

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the FCRA was enacted in 1970 to regulate the practices of consumer reporting agencies (“CRAs”) that collect and compile consumer reports for use by certain third parties, including employers.

The FCRA has seen amendments since its inception, but the intention remains the same – to keep the use of consumer information fair and allow space for consumer privacy. The Electronic Privacy Information Center states the Act does this through “…rights of data quality (right to access and correct), data security, use limitations, requirements for data destruction, notice, user participation (consent), and accountability.” For employers, the FCRA has created specific requirements that must be maintained.

Staying in compliance

The requirements imposed on employers that procure background reports are muddled with gray areas. Compounding the confusion is the fact that the FCRA can be supplemented by state and local laws. These laws can be amended, and they are subject to reinterpretation. Because of the changing nature of the FCRA, as well as state and local laws and regulations, the best way to stay compliant is to regularly consult your legal counsel. We’ve also compiled a short checklist with a few basic requirements to help you think about obligations under the FCRA

Download the FCRA Background Screening Compliance Checklist to help you get started thinking about your compliance requirements ››

If you want to learn more about what One Source’s FCRA-compliant background checks are all about, schedule a consultation today.

 

Understanding & Simplifying Adverse Action

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Background checks are part of every employer’s routine, from candidate screening to rescreens on employees, and along with these checks come important discoveries, too. Unfortunately, some of these discoveries call for adverse action, meaning an employment-related action that adversely or unfavorably affects a prospective or current employee. This blog covers some of the general steps employers should understand before they take adverse action on a candidate or employee.

Adverse Action Process

The adverse action process includes a series of letters informing a candidate or employee of their rights after they authorized procurement of a background report on them but before an employment decision has been made based on its content. In general, the first letter notifies the candidate or employee that an employment decision may be forthcoming based on the content of a background report; attached to this letter is a copy of the background report and a Summary of Your Rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”). The employer then waits for a set period of time to permit the candidate or employee to respond to the employer or dispute the accuracy of the background report with the consumer reporting agency, before final notice is sent is provided.

When taking adverse action on a candidate or employee, employers must comply with applicable laws including the FCRA and other state and local laws such as ban-the-box and fair chance laws. An employer who fails to comply with these laws could be held liable for actual damages, punitive damages, and other costs and fees.

The Benefits of Automation

All these steps can be a challenge to tackle alone or even with a robust team. Not only does it take time and energy to put the correct materials together and send them at the proper intervals, but whenever a team member carries these out, there’s a risk of human error. That’s why many turn to automated services to handle tasks like these. Deel, an HR platform provider, notes that automating tedious manual HR processes can make a big impact in several ways. Here are just a few:

  1. Guaranteed compliance. Automated document management and scheduled communications mean everything you need to keep compliant is done for you.
  2. Fewer manual errors. Decrease the likelihood of costly liability claims and enhance efficiency with human error out of the equation.
  3. Improved consistency. Provide a consistent experience for applicants and employees across the board.

Like all highly regulated employment practices, it’s best to review your policies and procedures with your organization’s legal counsel. Ensuring that the language is clear to applicants and employees is a great place to start, but employers also need to have a strategy in place if adverse action is required.

Free up time and reduce stress by handling adverse action through automation. Learn more about One Source’s One-Click Adverse Action service >>

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Always consult with legal counsel for personalized guidance.

 

Leveraging AI in Human Resources

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Subject matter experts agree that we’re currently amid an Artificial Intelligence boom due to its recent generative form (Reuters). That’s why, in May, Colorado made national news as the first state to pass extensive legislation regarding AI employment decision making (Seyfarth). Although Colorado isn’t the first state government to set their sights on the technology, the Centennial State is the first to enact regulations this broad. According to HR Dive, previous adopters of AI employment regulations include Illinois, Maryland, and New York City, focusing their efforts on video interview evaluations, facial recognition, and yearly audits, respectively.

With states like Connecticut, New York, Washington, and more drafting regulations of their own, it’s a good time to consider how your organization can prepare to get ahead of the game. Read on for our suggestions on how to go from AI novice to pro in no time.

Start With Understanding

The best way to start is by understanding the laws that are being enacted by discussing them with your legal counsel. Employers may also consider closely monitoring the topic of AI and “be prepared to rapidly retool their practices and protocols,” notes Ravin Jesuthasan, Senior Partner at Mercer, in an interview with UNLEASH. After understanding the legislation at play and the reasons they’re necessary, you can begin to combat one of the most persistent narratives we’ve heard in recent years: AI will replace all our jobs.

These technologies will certainly replace aspects of our day-to-day, but the focus of Human-Centered AI is to use Human Intelligence (HI) to either reduce the amount of time tedious tasks take or remove them from your team’s plates entirely. In a SHRM webcast, AI+ Executive-in-Residence Nichol Bradford spoke of a Gucci case study in which their customer support staff were supported by AI in this manner. The result was a more relaxed team with the capacity for genuine conversations with passionate customers. Of course, Gucci is a global enterprise, but smaller organizations may notice more of an impact when it feels like each team member has several assistants. Once you realize that your team can flourish given the appropriate support, the economic value of these systems becomes clearer.

The Value of AI Maturity

DoorDash is another prominent example of a business that recognized such value. According to a case study from Replicant, a generative AI development company, DoorDash reached out to them for help developing a solution targeting pain points of their end-to-end ordering experience as polled from staff and customers. They identified outbound food ordering calls as inefficient and costly and within six weeks of replacing the call center that was performing them, Replicant’s voice AI achieved a 94% success rate.

Both Gucci and DoorDash were lucky to have AI+HI Catalysts—staff members who facilitate AI adoption while utilizing HI to consider the impact on employees—on board. The fashion label gained a 30% increase in revenue while the food delivery giant significantly reduced cost per order and increased both customer satisfaction and profitability. In both cases, they examined their priorities, investigated the root causes, and applied tailored solutions. To achieve similar objectives in your organization, consider following their examples and remember to keep fairness, transparency, and privacy in mind when working with vendors.

So, if you’re looking to leverage AI in your organization, consider these three phases:

  1. Recognize the benefits AI offers and keep your staff at the forefront of adoption discussions.
  2. Understand the regulations in place, as well as those that may come.
  3. Be mature and responsible in AI deployment.

As AI models rapidly learn and improve and further constraints are legislated, you can be certain that One Source is keeping our eyes and ears open for any changes in compliance regulations. In the meantime, if you need other ways to streamline your background screening process like ongoing monitoring, integrations, or eSign capabilities, get in touch.

 

Identifying & Reducing Employee Online Misconduct

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Previously, we’ve touched on why employers utilize social media screening. To summarize, two businesses found out the hard way that problematic team members can draw negative attention to their employer and waste a lot of time, money, and resources along the way. Of course, those wasted efforts could have been avoided had they thoroughly vetted the online behavior of those in question.

When properly administered, this type of check contributes to lower staff misconduct, higher productivity, and a larger talent pool thanks to a positive perception of employer brand. Now, we’ll explore the most common types of misconduct found while reporting before learning how to mitigate it.

Common Offenses

With a litany of online activity resulting in red flags, it helps to categorize them for reports. Eight of the most common labels applied are Criminal Offenses, Violence, Drugs, Intolerance, Hate Speech, Harassment, Sex, and Threats.

  • Violent and Threatening content often include mentions of physical aggression or express an intent to cause harm.
  • Content labeled for Drugs could relate to the use, distribution, or advocacy of any variety of mind- or body-altering substance, regulated or otherwise.
  • Flags of Intolerance or Hate Speech often show intolerance of or a bias towards specific demographics.
  • Material can be flagged as Harassment if the individual has kept up persistent, unwelcome communication with specific users or groups.
  • Sexually explicit material or discussions of a sexual nature result in the Sex label.
  • The Criminal Offenses label can be broadly applied to any indication of illegal activities or involvement in criminal behavior.

Once you know what kind of behavior to keep a lookout for, it’s important to prepare a plan to minimize their effects on your organization.

Moderating Misbehavior

The first step is to ensure you’re equipped to handle potential issues that arise. One way HR teams can do so is by including a social media policy in the organization’s employee handbook. Make sure it details what’s acceptable, what isn’t, and the consequences of non-compliance.

Second, work with IT support to implement monitoring systems and software tools that track online activities within the organization’s network and detect potential misconduct. This could include content filtering and firewall technology to reduce access to certain websites or platforms. Periodically providing regular training on responsible internet usage and the organization’s policies regarding online conduct can also further reinforce a culture of accountability and professionalism among employees.

Third, consider encouraging your personnel to use their paid time off. Why? According to a study conducted by Hiscox, an insurance provider, it’s not only one of the easiest ways to identify potential cases of fraud, but it also gives team members additional time to relax, reducing the likelihood that they act out.

Last, it’s necessary to have an effective HR tech stack. Tools like anonymous whistleblower forms or hotlines, workplace communication monitoring, and necessary background and reference checks make identification and prevention easier to handle.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if your team is big or small; misconduct in any form is a threat to business. Facing it may sound daunting, but One Source can help. Reach out to learn how to best integrate social media screening into your policies for a successful staff.

 

5 of the Top Reasons to Use Continuous Criminal Monitoring

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The HR toolkit contains many means of keeping your organization staffed and running efficiently. Tools like applicant tracking systems and performance measuring software help bring in fresh faces and follow your team’s progress, but those are strictly for the pre-hire period and to track working hours. What may be lacking is a way to know that team members are avoiding conflict with the law. Thankfully, that’s where continuous monitoring comes in.

This process is, in form, similar to a preliminary employment background check for criminal history. However, instead of being a one-time affair, the subject is rescreened regularly to identify changes, if any, in the subject’s criminal history. Organizations might order this process due to any number of reasons, but today we’re going through the top five:

1. Compliance

Depending on your business’s trade, rescreening may be mandatory after a pre-determined time. Highly regulated industries like transportation, healthcare, and financial services — to name a few — often include requirements to have your background checked annually, biennially, or after several years with the employer.

2. Protecting Brand & Reputation

Companies, more so than individuals, live and die on how the public perceives them. If current staff make headlines for delinquent or criminal behavior, the community may ask, “Why are they still employed with you?” which can lead to a decline in business opportunities.

3. Safeguarding Sensitive Assets, Information, & Finances

Between trade secrets, billing data, intellectual property, and more, there are many resources and a great deal of customer information that employers don’t want to fall into the wrong hands. A slip-up in trust can be disastrous, threatening an entire business and contributing to the billions of dollars lost annually to intellectual property and trade secret theft, according to the Associated Press.

4. Maintaining a Safe Environment

Two groups comprise the core of all organizations: their staff and customers. Without the trust of both parties to move things forward, there are no deals to close or goals to achieve, making it paramount to protect them.

5. Streamlining & Automation

Keeping up with the goings-on of staff can be tedious and time-consuming. Many HR professionals choose to automate this process to free up valuable time they could spend recruiting and onboarding new staff, evaluating employees, or tending to other essential responsibilities.

No matter the reason, Continuous Criminal Monitoring can help your team remain safe and protect confidential resources. One Source can help by setting up a schedule to keep you informed. Reach out to learn how you can get started.

 

One Source Ranked as an HRO Today Pre-Employment Screening Leader

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One Source would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our clients for helping us achieve a first: ranking as an Enterprise Pre-Employment Screening Leader in the 2023 Baker’s Dozen Customer Satisfaction Ratings by HRO Today. This was only possible through feedback from our clients directly to the multi-channel network for HR decision-makers themselves. Our first accolade with the organization, we hope for the chance to exceed customer expectations moving forward.

What Is the Baker’s Dozen Award?

Each year, via an online survey, HRO Today gathers feedback from the customers of businesses in HR-related industries. Organizations are ranked in three categories to determine their standing: service breadth, deal sizes, and service quality. Service Breadth looks at the variety of available services tailored to distinctive audiences, Service Quality measures how customer expectations have been met, and Size of Deals refers to the average scope of contracts drawn up.

We’re Always Striving to Improve

As an Enterprise Pre-Employment Screening Leader, One Source is committed to providing an excellent experience from day one. We believe that the best way to begin is with a diagnosis of needs followed by:

  • Clear Communication – We listen to our customers and regularly adjust our system, services, and offerings based on feedback. If delays or important compliance updates arise, clients receive notices detailing the situation alongside relevant resources and details on possible resolutions.
  • Proactive Support – We’re happy to provide customers with the resources they need to hire confidently through onboarding and beyond. Plus, our support team is available by call, email, or chat whenever you need them.
  • A Streamlined Experience – Our process offers a smooth and accessible experience for both clients and applicants. Between ATS/HRIS integrations, bulk order uploads, automated reminders, and more, we have the tools needed to keep candidates moving.
  • Quick Turnaround Times – At One Source, accuracy is only one of our primary focuses. The other is ensuring that reports are delivered within 24 to 48 hours, allowing us to deliver the TotalCheck experience every time.

Let Us Know How We Can Help

After 20 years of providing trusted screening solutions, One Source greatly appreciates this new honor. We deeply value old and new relationships with clients, so we pledge to continue improving, listening, and learning.

For more information on how One Source goes above and beyond for our customers and their applicants, contact us.

 

A Comprehensive Review of Screening Compliance

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In the world of background checks, compliance is a must. It’s simply a fact of life for both Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) and any organization or business that screens consumers. A nuanced topic though it may be, this article sheds light on the industry-, permissible purpose-, and location-specific requirements that may apply to you. Of course, this article is only a starting point for ensuring your organization complies with background screening laws; consider discussing further with your legal counsel.

Below, we’ve broken down the most important factors to allow you to hone in on what’s relevant to your organization.

Rules & Regulations

Background screening compliance is a joint effort between the CRA who provides the report, the furnishers of data that end up in some reports, and the end user who procures the report. Different regulations and obligations apply to each type of entity, and two federal agencies—the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—are charged with enforcing them.

Background screening companies can also become accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association’s (PBSA’s) Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program (BSAAP). In short, accredited CRAs like us are committed to excellence and delivering the highest level of standards in six critical areas through accountability and continuous improvement of policies and procedures. For more information about this designation and the process of achieving it, check out our PBSA Accreditation page.

Of course, every business is part of an industry—some of which have specific requirements regarding background checks and additional searches (credit history, social media, USDOT, etc.). Organizations in education, finance, healthcare, or transportation (to name a few) need to adhere to specific constraints regarding hiring and continued employment practices. If you have questions about the specifics of your industry, check with your legal counsel.

End User Responsibilities

When working with an accredited background check company, companies must agree to several policies as end users. These may include, but are not limited to:

  • Reports won’t be used to violate the law
  • Consent has been given by applicants
  • Reports will be used confidentially
  • You won’t sell or disclose information to a third party
  • Applicant identities are confirmed

Further, a permissible purpose must be present to run a background check. Most often this is a Written Instruction for site access or personal screening, a Legitimate Business Need like tenant screening, or for Employment such as hiring, promotion, or retention. No matter the purpose, the organization must first be credentialed before they’re allowed to order a report. Most often, this process involves verifying business information, licenses, and tax documents; it may occasionally require an on-site inspection as well.

State-Specific Legislations

Among the myriad of laws and regulations are two that have been taking the country by storm in recent years: Clean Slate and Ban the Box laws. Essentially, these are legislations passed by individual states to limit the amount of information employers can use to deny individuals employment based on criminal history. The former removes eligible offenses from an individual’s criminal record once they’ve completed their sentence and any post-sentence requirements such as parole or probation and have committed any re-offenses. The latter provides certain procedures regarding criminal history inquiries during the application process and, in some cases, limits employers from asking about criminal history on job applications altogether.

To learn more about these measures and if/how they affect your state, read our previous coverage on these subjects here:

Ban the Box Updates: What Employers Need to Know

A man using a ballpoint pen to write while also using a laptop.

Clean Slate Laws: What Employers Need to Know

Two men shaking hands following a job interview.

Additional Obligations

Accompanying the larger regulations at play are additional necessary forms and procedures. Each carries its own significance and it’s important not to neglect them:

Disclosure & Authorization forms ensure applicants consent to being screened. All candidates must complete this form either on paper or electronically, it must be up to date, and it must include what will and may be searched.

Adverse Action means rescinding a job offer due to the results of a background check. This is a two-step process where a letter is sent to the applicant in advance to give them time to review the accuracy and completeness of their report and a chance to dispute inaccuracies.

If a prospective hire chooses to dispute information on their report, the CRA is required to perform a re-investigation and notify the furnishers of the data in question. Both the end user and applicant will be notified of the results of said re-investigation.

In summary, compliance should always be top of mind. Your organization needs to adhere to state and industry regulations, be properly credentialed, follow agreed-upon policies and procedures, and provide candidates with the tools they need to ensure their report is accurate.

For questions related to industry-specific standards, consult your legal adviser. For additional information, check out the Society for Human Resource Management’s website or our archive of compliance coverage.

Improving Employee Retention Through Rescreening

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This article was originally posted on theolsongroup.com. It has been rewritten and published for One Source by the author.

When HR professionals think about improving and maintaining employee performance, the sharpening of skills like time management, setting clear goals and expectations, or communication practices might come to mind. However, they may turn a blind eye to what happens outside of the workplace—which can have a larger impact than initially perceived.

This begs the question, “How do you ensure that those same standards originally screened for remain upheld?”

Standard employment screenings include information up to the moment they’re run, but what about criminal offenses that occur after that? How might employers learn about revoked licenses, suspended work authorizations, or other suspect behavior of employees?

Fortunately, consistent rescreening or continuous criminal monitoring solutions can help employers achieve just that.

Benefits of Rescreening Employees

Increased Safety & Security

Periodic rescreening can help identify individuals in your workplace that could potentially cause harm. Categories covered include drug use, theft, fraud, violence, sexually-based crimes, abuse, and more. That, in turn, helps to protect your customers, employees, and organization as a whole.

Reduction of Turnover

It’s simple: the increase in safety and security can lead to a better working environment. Happier staff tend to show up, perform, and speak well about their workplace far more than their counterparts in stressful or unsafe environments.

An Unburdened HR Team

With a consistent rescreening program and a good policy, the process can essentially run itself, leaving more time for HR to focus on team members and their performance.

How It Works

Don’t worry; keeping current on your employees is easier than it sounds.

Your Choice

First, decide what data your organization would like to receive. Search parameters can include real-time county criminal records, nationwide databases, federal records, sex offender registries, professional licenses, industry-specific repositories like financial or healthcare sanctions, and more.

Next, determine which solution is a better fit for your team:

Rescreening

A process as simple as uploading a spreadsheet of applicants and checking a box, rescreening can be scheduled periodically such as monthly or annually.

Continuous Criminal Monitoring

An automated search of over 650 million records that continuously identifies new criminal activity at the beginning of each month. Results are verified by our team to ensure accuracy before the report is returned to you.

And finally…

Remember Compliance

No matter which option you choose, organizations must not forget that they have compliance obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and other laws.

Federal and state laws still require employers to complete the disclosure and authorization process on applicants and employees. If you plan to run background checks again during the duration of their employment, that decision must be clearly and conspicuously stated within this disclosure. If you haven’t done so upon hire, new consent is required prior to any rescreening. Additionally, should information be uncovered that results in termination, the adverse action process must be followed. Consider consulting with legal counsel to verify that your procedures comply with these requirements.

Last but not least, consider whether your employment policies address rescreening and continuous monitoring. Should questionable information about an employee be uncovered, this will guide you on your best course of action. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is a great resource for sample background check policies and procedures.

While most organizations try to onboard trustworthy individuals, at the end of the day there’s no way to predict what the future holds for every member of your staff. Adding a monitoring service can offer helpful insight into new criminal offenses or changes in sex offender registration to better inform you about the individuals within your organization.

If these services are on your radar, One Source can help. Rescreening is easy in our portal through a simple spreadsheet upload, adverse action can be initiated with one click, and we provide templates for necessary compliance forms at no extra cost.

For more information on rescreening or continuous criminal monitoring, or to get started, don’t hesitate to reach out.

How Social Media Screening Protects Employers & Staff

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We have something exciting to share: One Source has a new-and-improved, FCRA-compliant Social Media Hiring Report to offer! It examines common social media sites like Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as over 10,000 other online sources of information for nine different types of workplace misconduct like violence, fraud, harassment, hate speech, and more.

“That’s great,” you might think, “But why should my team incorporate it in our employment screening package?” Well, we’re here to fill you in by covering what information can be revealed and the impact employee social posts can have on a company.

Areas of Concern

These days, nearly everybody (and their dog) has a social media presence. The myriad of platforms available may have different logins, feeds, and content options that can make it difficult to get the full picture of someone’s character; but when viewed together, they can form a cohesive look at a person’s attitudes, beliefs, and online presence.

If hostile language, harassment, or bullying are found on an individual’s account or within their activity, it can be a substantial cause for concern. Should an incident happen due to a lack of oversight in vetting new hires properly, your organization may be liable for a negligent hiring lawsuit. This form of litigation can be costly, too. Reports indicate that the average settlement cashes in at almost $1.5 million, and that’s only in monetary costs. In cases such as these, and even those that don’t make it to court, it doesn’t take long for word to spread and the public to take notice. Let’s look at two examples.

The Court of Public Opinion

In January of this year (2023), TechRaptor reported that a Twitter/X user pointed out that several posts made by the community manager of Limited Run Games, a company that publishes physical copies of popular digital video games, contained targeted and hateful language. Quick to respond—on the same day the tweets were posted, no less—the company investigated the situation and proceeded to terminate the employee in question.

Another instance in May, as reported by New Delhi Television (NDTV), reveals that a now-former-employee of global professional services organization Deloitte called Adolf Hitler “charismatic,” “intellectual,” and a “massive action taker” in a LinkedIn post. Shortly after, backlash grew online until Deloitte terminated their employee as well.

These cases may seem benign, but they represent much more. Each employee had to be trained and compensated, wasting valuable time and money that could have been better spent elsewhere. In addition, the amount of revenue lost to potential customers choosing another company or service provider may not be known for years to come.

At this point, the question becomes, “How can my organization stay ahead of these issues?”

A Solution You Can Trust

The first thing to do is to have a clear policy in place regarding the use of social media. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recommends that it outline what kinds of content can be flagged, the scope of the searches being conducted, and the consequences incurred if problematic content is found.

Following that, you’ll want to include social media screenings as part of your company’s background checks for employment purposes within the hiring process. If hits are found through searches or specific buzzwords, you can receive actionable data to base hiring decisions on in one convenient document. Below is an example of one such report One Source offers:

For more information on the benefits of social media screening, read 3 Reasons Why Companies Should Utilize Social Media Checks or get in touch with us today.