Background Check Challenges During the Pandemic

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Background Check Challenges During the Pandemic
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• There are few aspects of HR workflows that
  havent been impacted by the ongoing health
  pandemic, COVID-19, and pre-employment background
  checks are no exception. Courts and other
  facilities for accessing public records have been
  closed, and laboratories for drug-testing have
  been too, or at the very least, been very hard to
  get access to.
• Below are just some of the challenges that
  employers continue to face for pre-employment
  screening

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• Court records where youre located makes a
  difference
• In some states, courts are open for fulfilling
  public-record search requests, whereas in others,
  theyre not, so a managers ability to screen
  potential employees often depends upon where
  theyre located.
• While some courts are open only for online
  searches, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
  requires the information gained by background
  check vendors to be both complete and up-to-date,
  and without the necessary verifications by a
  court official, some information obtained online
  may not be.

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• Verifying work and education credentials
• With many managers and school officials
  unavailable or more concerned and occupied with
  other things, verifying an individuals work
  history and educational credentials, may also be
  tricky. Should a job candidate submit documents
  to an employer, they could easily be falsified,
  and as authenticating them may not currently be
  possible, they should not be taken at their face
  value.

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• Pre-screening drug tests
• While many laboratories are open and conducting
  employment screening, candidates may be reluctant
  to visit the lab due to the risk of contracting
  COVID-19, and in-person visits are few and far
  between. Currently, employers must choose whether
  to forgo the test if not in a regulated industry
  where they may be mandatory.

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• So, if screening isnt available, should
  employers simply stop it?
• Some organizations arent in a position to halt
  the hiring of new employees, but if
  pre-employment background checks are part of
  their normal hiring process, should they stop
  them altogether?
• Well, yes, employers can take this decision until
  things get back to some semblance of normality,
  but this can leave their existing workers,
  property and customers unprotected and
  vulnerable, and if an employee isnt screened and
  a problem comes up later, a negligent-hiring
  lawsuit could ensue.

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• One alternative option for employers needing to
  hire at the moment, is to prioritize certain
  types of checks, and eliminate those that may not
  be quite so important. In general, the
  verifications required involving employment and
  education take longer to perform, so companies
  may choose to forego these in favor of
  criminal-history or sex offender checks.
• If youre looking to hire new employees and are
  unable to fulfil all of your normal screening
  requirements, consider whats most important to
  your company and the industry youre in, and
  place your focus on those. For more detailed
  advice and guidance related to pre-employment
  background checks, seek help from a professional
  payroll provider with a screening service.

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• Apollo Payroll is one of the premier small
  business payroll companies in Miami Beach and
  Coral Gables. Apollo Payroll is dedicated to
  delivering expert advice, responsive service, and
  highly accurate payroll processing and reporting
  to ensure the success and growth of the business
  that we serve. Our services include comprehensive
  payroll service in Miami and other cities in
  Miami-Dade County, employee background check and
  group health insurance in Coral Gables Miami.