SHOULD WE BE DOUBLE AND RE-SCREENING EMPLOYEES?

Hiring the right people for the job is essential to your company’s success. Background checks streamline the screening process and help you ensure you are bringing aboard employees that are a good fit and have no shady pasts.

A common misconception is that background checks should only be carried out on new hires and never on existing employees. Let’s see whether it makes sense to re-screen current employees for your organization.

What Is Re-screening?

Re-screening is the process of checking the records of existing staff members to determine if they still meet specific job requirements and whether they have committed a crime during their employment with you. It’s called re-screening because it’s a follow-up to the original screening report you received when you initially hired them.

Double screening is typically done when there are changes within the business or with the employee. The re-screening process is conducted the same way as the initial background check but can include additional questions relevant to the specific role.

Why Re-screen Employees?

Reasons for re-screening vary depending on the nature of your business and the type of job being performed by the employee. There are several reasons why employers re-screen their existing workforce, such as:

• Ensure their employees are not on any criminal databases, such as the national sex offender registry.
• Ensure that their employees have not been convicted of crimes that would prevent them from working in sensitive positions or around children.
• To comply with state laws requiring employers to conduct criminal record checks.
• For other compliance purposes such as verifying an employee’s right to work in the U.S., verifying citizenship or lawful status.
• To determine if an employee has lied about their past employment history.

Whenever there is a change with the employee or within the business, conducting a re-screen can help you stay informed about your team members and avoid unnecessary liability risks.

Changes with the Employee

Re-screening is essential when changes occur with the employee. Many changes can occur during a person’s time working at an organization such as being promoted, transferred, or changing roles within the business.

Even if a candidate was screened before, re-screening can ensure they are still eligible for the job or well-suited for a different position within the business. For example, if you’re running a daycare center, you’ll want to be up to date on whether your employees are suitable caretakers.

A re-screen might also be conducted when an employee comes forward with information about their criminal record or when there are reasons to suspect that they may have committed a crime while employed. This could include:

• An arrest or conviction
• Evidence of drug use
• Suspected fraud or embezzlement

Regular background checks and screenings can give business owners a thorough glimpse of an employee’s criminal history, driving record, credit, and drug use. Having this current and relevant information on your employees’ backgrounds ensures you continue to have the right people to represent your business.

Changes within the Organization

Re-screening is also necessary when changes within the business and new hiring policies are implemented. For instance, if your company begins drug testing its employees, you will need to re-screen all current employees to ensure they meet your new standards.

In some cases, this could mean that someone who was previously considered qualified suddenly becomes unqualified because of changes like their job duties placed on them by their employer. Even if an employee has been with your company for years, they could still threaten your organization’s security if they are not properly screened.

What Is the Best Way to Re-screen Employees?

The best way to re-screen existing employees is to get help from a reputable background screening company in compliance with the FCRA. A reputable background screening company can help you:

• Ensure your employees have up-to-date information on file with their credit bureaus and criminal justice agencies.
• Add new hires who may not have a prior history with the credit bureaus or criminal justice agencies into your background check process.
• Verify new hires’ identities so that they are not mistaken for someone else with similar personal details.

How ScoutLogic Can Help

You can receive up-to-date- and FCRA-compliant background checks on current and new employees by using a reputable company like ScoutLogic.

Let ScoutLogic streamline the screening process for your ever-evolving and growing team! Contact us today!

David Garcia

David Garcia is the co-founder and CEO of ScoutLogic. David is also a senior operating advisor for Norwest Venture Partners. David is a member of the boards of ScoutLogic, YipitData, and Supplier.io and was formerly on the boards of Infutor and Avetta. He has over 25 years of B2B commercial leadership experience in data & analytics companies.