Background screening has become virtually ubiquitous when it comes to hiring in the modern age. In fact, a joint survey conducted by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) and HR.com, revealed that out of the 1,528 human resource professionals polled, 96% reported their companies perform some type of employment screening. Of those respondents, 83% screen all full-time employees, with 67% indicating they screen all part-time employees. However, most companies continue to exclude nontraditional hires, such as interns, volunteers, and gig workers, from their screening practices.
Here are the three major reasons companies bypass screening nontraditional employees and why you shouldn’t:
- They’re temporary. Interns, volunteers, summer hires, and gig workers are all expected to work for a company for only a brief interval of time. As such, these individuals have less interaction (if any at all) with permanent employees, and are falsely perceived as less of a threat to the work environment.
The reality is these workers can pose as much risk to an organization as traditional employees. It is essential to closely evaluate everyone who has potential access to sensitive and valuable company information.
- Screening is deemed an unnecessary expense. Interns and volunteers are generally unpaid, while summer hires and gig workers tend to earn lower wages than regular staff. This combined with the expectation of a high turnover rate, leads many employers to determine that it is simply more cost efficient to avoid screening these hires all together.
The folly behind that logic is that failing to screen out harmful individuals can result in lasting damage to the company’s reputation and litigation ending in exorbitant fees (as demonstrated by the $9 million fine Colorado state regulators hit Uber with in November). It is especially pertinent to obtain a professional background screening when the candidate is slated to work directly with vulnerable populations, like children or the elderly.
- They were referred by a trusted employee. Many HR professionals depend on referrals from current, reliable employee to aid in their recruiting efforts. This is done to ensure that new hires are a match for the company in terms of culture and fit.
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Unfortunately, these recommendations rarely provide the entire picture when it comes to the candidate’s character and should never be accepted in lieu of a comprehensive background check. Though culture and fit are essential to successful onboarding, so is bringing on qualified individuals who help to maintain the safety and welfare of the workplace.
