Employers today understand all to well the importance of employment background screening.  Exercising care to ensure that your firm hires only well qualified candidates who will keep the work environment productive, safe, and free from  misconduct is a sound and necessary practice.  Job applicants, however, may not understand the full importance of the practice and may be suspicious of how the information will be used.  Adopting a background screening policy that describes the process and the reasoning behind it will help applicants understand that a background check is necessary and applied consistently to all persons hired at your firm.

 

As the percentage of employers doing background checks has increased over the years, so has the number of legal actions filed by applicants/employees claiming discrimination or unfair treatment during the background check process. Developing and implementing a clear and concise employment screening policy will help prevent such claims.  Below is a link to a generic, sample policy that is for informational purposes only; it is not a substitute for legal advice.  We hope the sample is useful and informative, but readers should not adopt the sample in whole or in part without tailoring the policy to meet your specific needs and circumstances.  As with all employment policies, it should then be reviewed for compliance by your legal department.