Reasons Employers Do Background Checks
It is the responsibility of the employer to protect it’s other employees, contactractors, assets and customers. Many employers use background checks as a tool to keep their workplace safe. They use them to get honest, trustworthy employees. Before employers run background or credit checks, it is necessary for them to follow certain laws.
Before anything else, they must follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This act protects employees from discrimination based on credit and other issues. The act mandates that you must get the employee’s permission before you start running any kind of background or credit check. You are also not allowed, as an employer, to use the information to not hire the employee. A good example; you can find out that the person has had bankrupcies, but you can not use this information to not hire the applicant.
Employers also use search engines such as Google to look up potential candidates. They are allowed to do this, however they can not use it to discriminate. For example, they can not use this information only for miniorty applicants or other protected classes. To do so would be highly illegal. They do not want to discriminate in any way, shape or fashion.
You also need to make certain that the correct person is being reported. It would be a legal nightmare if you denied a job to the wrong person because you recieved bad information. You need to match up the social security numbers to make certain that the correct person is being reported on.
Employers must also remember to get permission to run a pre-employment background check. This is an absolute necessity. They must always get explicit permission to run credit and background checks. Also, they must keep the information confidential and not go around the office telling everyone or posting it on the internet.
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