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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.

3 Reasons Why Companies Should Utilize Social Media Checks

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The gold standard in background screening has traditionally been the pre-employment background check on a candidate before extending an offer. Times have changed, though, and so has the information available to onboarding managers.

While it’s important to know if your potential hire has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, falsified employment, or education information, etc., you may also want a glimpse at any possible behavioral issues the candidate exhibits that could put your organization, clients, or team members at risk.

A great way to gather this information is through Social Media Screening. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or a scan of media and news outlets, it feels almost natural to pursue someone’s social media for a closer look into their life. Here are three reasons why many of our clients utilize Social Media Screening.

Enhance Safety Within the Organization

It’s crucial, and social media checks can aid in this process during onboarding. These checks offer information on applicants’ social media accounts to provide a more precise picture of their behaviors and personality online and limit the risk of onboarding those who don’t align with the basic code of conduct or your core values. Illegal activity, violence, or sexually explicit material posted on their accounts is flagged, shared on the report, and sent to the onboarding manager to review.

Prevents Potential Discrimination Accusations

Outsource. Outsource. Outsource. Outsourcing your social media screening can help diminish potential workplace discrimination during the onboarding process. Scrolling through an applicant’s account can put you in a sticky situation if you try to do the screenings yourself. You want to make sure you have an unbiased view so you don’t encounter compliance issues.

It can also go the other way. Suppose an applicant’s account shows potential issues involving race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or age discrimination. Social Media checks will flag the content for review, so you don’t risk onboarding that individual.

Prevents Reputation Risks

Your team members are the face of your company and what you stand for. When they aren’t at work, anything they do or say can reflect on your company, good or bad. There is a lot of pressure for companies to be consistent with their policies and values with an online presence. Social media checks can show how an individual presents themselves to the internet – meaning you can see a report of any flagged content that might not align with your company’s values and could make your company look bad.

To learn more about Social Media Screening, check out Should social media checks be included in screenings or contact our Client Relations Team.

How to Maximize Your Investment in Quality Background Checks

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Nearly every organization hiring or recruiting volunteers utilizes background checks in some way. Applicants and employers alike often see screening as another box to check as they work toward a hiring decision. 

While the ubiquity of background checks is a great sign, many organizations don’t realize their screening process has untapped potential. Background checks drive success when done right and lead to serious difficulties when done insufficiently. 

That’s why background checks should be viewed as an investment in the future of your organization. Thorough, accurate background screenings can help you hire the best candidates with confidence—building your team with people you can trust.

Here we’ll talk about how making the most of your investment in background checks strengthens your company and how you can avoid the hidden costs of inadequate screenings.

Tailor background checks to each job description.

Background checks are an investment in your organization’s growth, so it’s worth it to put thought into how each candidate is screened. Each job description is different with varying expectations—one-size-fits-all screening just isn’t efficient for finding the best candidates.

Go through each department in your organization and determine their screening needs. Some departments may need team members to have clear driving records, while some may need certifications of specific degrees. You can then work with your background check agency to tailor screening protocols to each job opening. At One Source, we offer driving record checks, education verification and more to meet the specific needs of each of your teams. 

By putting careful thought into what each screening includes, you use your resources efficiently and cover all your bases while finding the best candidates.

Work with a screening partner.

Background check agencies offer expertise and assistance you can’t find anywhere else. If your company runs a lot of background checks, you can maximize your time and resources by hiring an agency to help you.

When you work with a partner like One Source, you get background check experts working with you to create a tailored screening policy. You’ll also get reports delivered in a clear layout that makes important information clear. To take tedious tasks like sifting through reports off your hiring team’s plate and make the most of the dollars you put toward background checks, find a screening partner.

Avoid the consequences of inadequate screening.

Organizations invest in high-quality background screenings to ensure they make positive hiring choices for the future. By finding a reputable screening partner and planning an efficient hiring process, you greatly decrease the chance of making a poor hiring choice. Hires who don’t contribute to your organization’s mission increase turnover and hinder your goals. 

The costs of a bad hire outweigh the costs of a well-planned hiring process. Your investment in screenings will ripple across your whole organization and reflect in your dedicated team. To learn more about how quality background checks can help your company, contact One Source’s Client Relations team.

How a Background Check Company Can Enhance Your Hiring Process

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When you need to add another employee to your organization, it creates a lot of work and plenty to consider. You have to write the perfect job description to attract the best candidates, list the job in the right places, filter through resumes and cover letters, schedule interviews and so much more. You have to invest a lot of time and effort to find the best candidate, which can change your organization for the better. But you don’t have to do it alone. The vast majority of organizations include some form of background check for employment. This can be simple and worthwhile by partnering with a background check agency. Background check companies like One Source enhance your hiring process for and make it safer for your clients. See how background check services can streamline your hiring and help you find the ideal candidate.

Get help standardizing your screening policies.

Whether or not you enlist a background check company to help you, your organization must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This act gives several rights to candidates throughout the background check process—including the right to dispute the contents of their background report. If you choose to remove a candidate from consideration because of information in their report, the FCRA mandates you inform the candidate of how you came to your decision through using the Adverse Action process.

A background check agency helps you navigate the FCRA and build a compliant hiring policy that treats all applicants fairly. You don’t have to worry about becoming an FCRA expert because your screening agency has all the knowledge you need.

Screen applicants quicker.

Filtering through and accessing multiple sources on your own can be tedious and confusing. Identifying compliant and verified data can be time consuming and  bogs down the hiring process.

Background screening companies like One Source provide clear, easy-to-navigate dashboards that cut right to the info that matters. You don’t have to spend extra time digging through documents to determine an applicant’s history—all relevant information will be clearly presented. With One Source, you’ll also have access to expert customer service for any questions about a candidate’s report and how to interpret it.

Guarantee quality background checks.

Professional background check providers have developed methods for curating the most accurate and comprehensive reports. One Source offers the TotalCheck service. This includes local, state and federal criminal records; an applicant history check; a sex offender registry check; and a global watchlist report. Additionally, We can also add several other checks, like drug tests and driving history reports, as needed.

A professional screening agency makes certain all of your background checks are accurate and compliant with FCRA. If you perform background checks yourself or use quick online reports, you can’t be sure you’re getting correct information—let alone quality information.

One Source is a dedicated background check partner. We care about you and want enhance your hiring process every step of the way. Learn more about our TotalCheck screening process and how we make hiring simple by contacting our Client Relations team today.

Should Social Media Checks Be Included in Screenings?

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Social media offers an accessible, easy-to-navigate database to see someone’s interests, education, employment and personality. These days, it feels almost natural to peruse someone’s social media for an update on their life if you haven’t heard from them in a while. While social media is useful for connecting with those we know personally, the ethics of using it to evaluate potential employees can be murky.

A job candidate’s social media accounts can provide the clearest picture of their true behaviors and personality—and social media screenings can absolutely have a place in the hiring process. However, that screening should not be as simple as letting your hiring manager quickly scroll through a candidate’s profile(s). Social media screenings must be integrated into your hiring process carefully, and we’re here to answer any questions and help you formulate the right policy for your company.

In what situations does social media screening make sense?

Not every job description would necessitate a social media search—for the majority of jobs a pre-employment background check will be sufficient. However, if you’re looking to hire a public relations manager, social media strategist or any other consumer-facing position, taking a peek at their profile(s) would make sense.

Essentially, you don’t need to look into a candidate’s social media if it is not related to the job they applied for. While social media allows for a candid look into the lives of others, it is not always an accurate depiction of their true self. Screen social media profiles only if your team deems it ethical for the vacant position.

Who should conduct my social media screenings?

You hire background check agencies because they can access records that would be difficult for you to find. But with social media, the internet is right in front of you and it isn’t hard to find your candidate’s profiles. However, just because it’s easy for your hiring team to access social media doesn’t mean they should be the ones conducting the screenings.

For compliance reasons, it would be a good idea to outsource your social media screening. Another agency can provide you with an overview of a candidate’s social media that only contains information you can legally consider in your employment decision. If your team comes across personal information like religious beliefs or sexual orientation on a candidate’s profiles, you can claim that information didn’t play into your decisions but you can’t prove it. To avoid any potential discrimination accusations, it might be best to have your background check agency look at social media.

Can I take adverse action based on a candidate’s social media posts?

The short answer is yes. But as with everything about social media, it’s more complex than that. Your organization should already have set guidelines about what would move you to reject an applicant. If a candidate posted something that falls within those guidelines, you may then remove them from consideration and explain why you made that choice.

You can’t take adverse action just because you disagree with something an applicant said online. That could get you into a world of compliance troubles. Treat a social media screening like any other screening and you’ll be able to make compliant decisions.

To learn more about how One Source can help you find the best background check solutions for your organization, contact our Client Relations Team.