Signs of the economy opening are starting to emerge. Employees are returning to their offices and many more will be following soon. Besides taking precautions to create an environmentally safe workplace, employers need to consider the safety of their workplace from an employee behavior perspective.
Your business is still being held to employment laws post-economic lockdown, so stay compliant. Our recommendation, and a best practice in keeping your company safe, is to conduct an ongoing monitoring program.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA), 51% of employers state they conduct background checks following the hiring process. Year-over-year, this presents a 17% increase in the number of companies that are conducting background checks post-hire.
Not only are rechecks becoming a common practice for employers, the effects of the economic lockdown need to be considered. As renowned industry expert Bill Current cited in our June 10 webinar, How to Prepare Now for a Post-Pandemic Workplace, times of crisis lead to increased substance abuse. For more compelling reasons to conduct rechecks as your employees return to work, read our blog.
Below are several benefits of conducting criminal checks on your existing employees to ensure a compliant, and successful return to work.
Protect Your Company
Even if you have insurance to protect your business against employee negligence, you still have responsibility for the behaviors of your employees. By putting policies in place to routinely recheck your employees for new criminal activity, traffic violations, or license expirations, you can demonstrate that you’ve taken measures to keep your customers, your business, and the public safe.
Remaining compliant with the Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) could mean the difference between a growing business, and one that is heavily fined or endures an expensive lawsuit. These compliance decisions can be complex, so employers must be vigilant. Protect your business and give yourself peace of mind by doing thorough rechecks.
Protect Your Customers
If your employees interact directly with your clients', or if they provide transportation services, you certainly want to avoid bad outcomes. Accidents happen, but negligence likely leads to litigation.
Even if your employees virtually meet with clients, substance abuse could lead to an interaction or mistake which could fracture a customer relationship. One incident can leads to a lost transaction while tarnishing your reputation for years. Ongoing employee checks can mitigate such incidents.
Establish a Policy
Every successful initiative starts with a well thought-out process. Employers will want to ensure they have policy in place which permits employee rechecks. Like normal, policy by state of operation will need to be considered.
Conducting ongoing employee checks has become an essential part of building a safe workplace. Companies understand that a safe workplace leads to attracting the best candidates which in turns creates the environment for optimal success.
Orange Tree can help employers deploy fully compliant and robust ongoing monitoring programs. For more information on how to get started today, contact one of our consultants today.
