It’s safe to say that the Coronavirus has affected many areas in our personal lives and in our business lives and the background screening industry is no exception.
As our whole industry speed depends on the connections we've developed throughout the years with court clerks, judges, city and state officials. In addition, the pandemic has played a part in delays due to courthouses being closed. Here are some areas where our industry has been affected.
Court Record Searches
Multiple courthouses around the country have been closed while others are only operating with a skeleton crew and have cut the normal working hours. This makes our job difficult due to the fact that we need to send researchers into the courthouse to search records. Luckily, a lot of courthouses have made exceptions for this type of work to be done and we are either able to make an appointment to search records or we have been given temporary online access. While we are grateful for the accommodations – it is not ideal.
Work and Education Records
Places of businesses that have been closed, as well as education institutions being closed has posed a real concern when verifying this information. Diploma mills are not only real, but it’s also big business! So our best piece of advice for employers is never take a copy of a diploma as proof of a degree. Even if you have to wait a little longer for the information – trust me it’s worth the wait to make sure your applicant is providing accurate and truthful information.
Drug Tests / Drug Screening
We have definitely seen a lull in drug testing over the past several months and this could be due to the fact that a particular lab may not be open for in-person visits or maybe the applicant doesn’t want to visit the lab for fear of being exposed to Covid-19. So some employers may be foregoing this test for the short term – unless they are in a DOT regulated industry, in which case you have no choice. Even the DOT recognizes there are currently issues with testing and they are encouraging employers to be creative – such as hiring a mobile lab company, etc.
Expect Delays
A lot of background screening companies are continuing on with the motto of “business as usual” and just explaining to clients to definitely expect delays. Other options would include asking the applicant to disclose any criminal history and be very clear that falsifying information would be grounds for termination. Of course you will need to abide by any and all state and local laws pertaining to the jurisdiction in question and make sure you are doing everything in compliance with the FCRA.
The team at Global Background Screening has been providing FCRA Compliant background checks to businesses for a combined 50+ years. GBS is dedicated to making sure our clients receive the best customer service in the industry, along with not only the quickest turnaround-time, but ACCURACY. We are the best in the business at what we do.
