04/10/2024

How to Handle Temporary Employees' Background Checks

Follow the best practices of employee hiring

HR Question: We had a fabulous individual working for us through a temporary agency. We decided to hire the individual and ran them through our process, including conducting a background check. The results were shocking – we thought the temporary agency had already verified their background. How should I handle background checks for temporary employees going forward to ensure this doesn’t happen again?

HR Answer: Many companies treat temporary employees differently when it comes to background checks and only realize it when it’s too late – when they try to hire the individual. The staffing company said they ran a “background check” before they placed the individual with you. However, when you compare the results of your own verification versus the staffing company’s, it hits you: If you had run your own background check first, instead of relying on the staffing company’s, you would never have considered the individual in the first place. So, now what do you do?

Unfortunately, this situation is all too common. Many employers allow temporary workers into their organization without knowing anything about the “background check” the staffing company performed before those individuals started working for their organization.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Clark Schaefer Strategic HR.