Background Check Basics: A Guide to Getting Started

People depend on businesses and organizations to make good hiring decisions and make workplace safety a top priority. Therefore, vetting each applicant is essential in order to hire and recruit quality employees and volunteers. Comprehensive background checks are imperative to uncover any warning signs about an applicant that could place employees, customers and a business at risk. In fact, a company can be held liable for negligent hiring and retention if the organization fails to conduct thorough background checks on current and prospective employees.

Having a screening program also comes with adhering to federal laws and other legislation that impacts the background check process. Various individual states have also enacted separate laws and regulations that govern employment screening. Thus, it's important to for employers to review their background screening practices to help ensure compliance with all applicable laws.