How to Create a Post-Hire Background Check Policy

Traditionally, the background check process occurs in tandem with skills assessments and final interviews during the hiring process. Increasingly, employers want to hire swiftly and extend hiring offers contingent upon a background check. A growing number of employers are also shifting to a formal annual or continuous screening process. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, roughly 43% of American employers with established screening programs carry out post-hire screenings.

There are multiple benefits for employers who perform continuous post-employment screening, including maintaining a safe workplace, mitigating potential risk, and protecting your company from liability.

If you plan to implement post-hire background checks, your policy and notice to employees should reflect this – along with what happens if an employee does not pass a post-hire background check.

Table of Contents

1. Considerations for Creating a Post-Hire Background Check Policy
2. Partner with an Accredited Background Check Vendor
3. Streamline Background Checks with Cisive

Considerations for Creating a Post-Hire Background Check Policy

If possible, your employees should sign paperwork consenting to post-hire background checks when you first hire them. When you create a new post-hire policy, you’ll want to ensure your current employees remain informed and sign any legally necessary documents. There are several areas to consider when creating your post-hire policy.

Why does your company screen candidates and employees?

This is an opportunity to explain the relevance and reason for your organization’s background screening, highlight the benefits of safety in the workplace, and cover specific types of screening that apply to your industry. For example: positions like delivery drivers require Department of Transportation (DOT) background checks while dispatchers do not. If screenings are random or not explained, it could feel invasive and negatively impact employee morale. Transparency, education, and open communication about how these screenings keep all employees safer can support your new post-hire policy.

What is the scope of your screening process?

Not all job titles or all industries require the same type of background checks. Positions that involve activities like driving or operating heavy machinery may be subject to additional screening, as will roles that require a professional license or certification verification, such as in nursing or home health.

Will there be different screening processes for different roles?

The information here could, for example, include a statement about how your organization complies with all laws governing any restrictions regarding background checks. An important note here: Regulations around background checks are complicated and they are evolving rapidly. The laws surrounding background checks differ greatly depending on a wide variety of factors, including which state your organization operates in, which state your employee resides in, state legislation around background screening and even the industry you’re in.

What is the screening procedure?

This should clearly state that your company is conducting post-hire continuous screening. It should include the process for initiating a background check, including adverse action notices, as well as the procedures for a third-party background screening vendor.

Have you covered all the legal bases?

The information here could, for example, include a statement about how your organization complies with all laws governing any restrictions regarding background checks. An important note here: Regulations around background checks are complicated and they are evolving rapidly. The laws surrounding background checks differ greatly depending on a wide variety of factors, including which state your organization operates in, which state your employee resides in, state legislation around background screening and even the industry you’re in.

Partner with an Accredited Background Check Vendor

As companies move toward more streamlined, post-hire strategies to accelerate onboarding and provide easier candidate experiences, working with an accredited vendor partner like Cisive can help you ensure that your background screening policy is current and mitigates any legal risk possible.

Cisive’s innovative Workforce iQ suite enables streamlined post-hire background checking to protect your business against risk and ensure full legal compliance. With access to hundreds of thousands of records from federal and local courts, we deliver nationwide coverage for ongoing criminal, license and exclusion monitoring.

Streamline Background Checks with Cisive

Post-hire background checks provide an effective way to mitigate risks to your business and ensure a safe, compliant workplace. Before implementing new processes, you’ll need a robust post-hire background screening policy to maintain consistent processes, provide transparency for employees, and establish compliance with ever-changing regulations.

Conducting effective, ongoing background screening is easier with expert support. Partnering with Cisive provides exceptional monitoring coverage and holistic reporting through a user-friendly platform, enabling you to make the right call on decisions that affect your workplace’s safety. Speak with an expert to learn how Cisive’s comprehensive screening services help de-risk your business.