If you are a business owner looking to hire an employee but don’t know whether that person is good for the position, you should do a background check on them. Background checks involve looking into someone’s records and finding out about their life.
When you are hiring someone, you want to make sure that they will fit into your company’s work dynamic and that they will fit into the work environment. Moreover, you want an employee who won’t give you any hardships and someone who knows how to do their job.
Whether you want someone experienced or not, you should always do a background check. You will protect your company from possible inconveniences and unnecessary, uncomfortable situations. Here’s how you can do a background check on your employees.
Use a third-party service
The easiest way to do a background check is to hire a third party to do the check for you. You will save time and get all the necessary information without wasting time and effort. Some companies specialize in performing background checks for others, making the whole process simpler and more thorough.
Hiring an employee can be tricky since you cannot estimate whether they will fit in immediately. Luckily, these companies are objective and will provide detailed information about someone’s work history.
You won’t need to do everything on your own – you can hire someone to do the check for you.
However, if you insist on being the investigator, there are a couple of things below that you should keep in mind when hiring an employee.
- Notify the person about the background check
Before you do a background check, you need to notify the person that you will do it. Your potential employee needs to know that you will have an insight into their information. If you don’t inform them and do the check, they are allowed to file a lawsuit against you.
Moreover, when you notify your potential employee about your intentions, it will give them space to openly and honestly discuss their previous work/personal experiences. They will let you know if something needs to be revealed about them.
Whether you are the one doing the check, or a third party, it is essential to tell the person they are being checked.
- Create a policy
Whether you want a background check on a current employee or a potential one, you must create a company policy about background checks. People will have an insight into what you will check specifically and what you expect from them.
When it comes to current employees, these checks can consist of checking the results at the end of the month and checking whether or not there have been any inconveniences. You can keep track of their progress; this way, your employees will be consistent and stay motivated to work.
On the other hand, when you want to do a background check on a potential employee, you should state what type of background check you will do and how that check is essential for your company. For example, doing a criminal record check will protect the company from work abuse.
- Perform specific checks
Some employers spend too much time on background checks unrelated to the company’s work ethics. Sometimes, you shouldn’t do background checks that won’t affect the quality of the work.
For example, if you suspect that someone’s behavior is changing and affecting the quality of their work, you should do a specific background check, such as a drug test. Additionally, if your company is strictly against substances, you should do these checks randomly, once in a while.
That being said, you don’t have to check with someone’s previous employer if they weren’t doing the same job. Let’s say that you own a construction company, and your potential employee has worked as a hairdresser previously. In that case, you don’t need to talk to their previous employer because it is not the same position.
However, these employer-to-employer checks can include discussing someone’s behavior in the workplace, so you need to have a specific background check for that.
- Verify the person’s identity
One of the crucial steps in background checks is checking a person’s identity. In modern times, more people hire employees working remotely, which gives them space not to reveal their true identity.
Before you can do a background check, you need to verify the person’s identity. That can include asking for an identification of some sort, such as birth certificates, passports, etc. You will keep your company safer by following this step.
Conclusion
Hiring an employee may not be easy since you are unaware of their history. Luckily, doing background checks has never been easier and more accessible. Before doing a background check, you need to notify the person that you will look into their information.
We have explained how you can do a background check on someone. You can apply these steps to both current and possible employees. Keep in mind that you are doing this for your company’s safety, but you should also think about the security of your (potential) employees.