Nearly two months into 2016, and the year is already shaping up to be transformative for the background screening industry. Here’s some trends we’ll be keeping an eye on:
- How the federal government will respond to President Obama’s “Ban The Box” directive
- The limitations of FBI fingerprint checks and the differences between them and thorough CRA-conducted background checks
- The continued rise of class action and EEOC-backed lawsuits for violating background check law
- Employers’ rights in states where marijuana (medical or otherwise) is legalized by voters
It’s imperative that employers keep up with the changes, and potential changes, in the screening industry. As we’ve reported all too often on ActiveCare, even a small error can lead to a costly lawsuit settlement. Check out these big names who have found themselves facing serious legal sanctions:
The thing is, most employers can’t possibly keep up with the intricacies of the screening industry, much less the behind the scenes action that will dictate future protocols. Even Human Resources professionals don’t have the time to invest in making sure their company is following proper background check procedures.
What does this mean? Your company is probably already at risk of breaking the law when conducting background checks, and it’s only going to get worse if you don’t partner with someone who knows what they’re doing.
That’s where we come in.
Active Screening has earned a prestigious accreditation from the National Association of Professional Background Screeners, or NAPBS for short. Dubbed ‘The Voice of Screening Professionals,’ NAPBS is a professional organization made up background screening agencies and service providers who work on a variety of issues important to the industry:
• Adhere to compliance laws like Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
• Promote ethical business practices
• Better awareness of consumer protection and privacy rights
• Grow screening practices internationally
• Provide educational tools
Accreditation isn’t easy to come by. It has to be earned, proven, and maintained. In order to pass accreditation standards and procedures, Active Screening had to operate at an exceptional level in all avenues of its practices and showcase this ability to the Background Screening Credentialing Council (BSCC). Active Screening had to demonstrate compliance at every level of its operations through desk and on site audits by an independent auditor.
When you work with an NAPBS-accredited screening firm like Active Screening, you are working with the best Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) in the country. And, you get access to specific benefits that ONLY accredited CRAs can provide. Here’s three reasons you should be using an NAPBS-accredited screening company:
Compliance: When you work with an NAPBS-accredited screening firm like Active Screening, you can be assured that the letter of the law is being followed during every step of the screening process. Accredited firms are not merely knowledgeable about important hiring compliance procedures like Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), consumer privacy policies and Adverse Action, they have passed a series of external and internal audits that demonstrate consistent excellence in handling compliance procedures.
FACT: Only 10% of Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRA) in the US have been able to obtain Accreditation. Active Screening is one of that 10%.
Privacy: Protecting your Personal Identifying Information (PII), and the PII of your employees, candidates and volunteers, is important. You can have the latest and greatest technologies in data storage and encryption, but if you haven’t properly vetted, trained and educated your employees, nor have you implemented a standard operating procedure when it comes to handling PII, then it’s all for naught. With an accredited screening company, you are assured of its commitment to, and excellence in, protecting your sensitive information.
Accuracy: Active Screening is proud to promote our 97% customer retention rate. That wouldn’t happen if we didn’t provide an accurate, easy-to-use and affordable service. Investigating employees, volunteers, interns, coaches, and pastors is not simply a job for us – we know that we are your baseline defense to keep bad hires out of your company. If you’d like to read what our clients have to say about us, click here.
So what’s the bottom line, here? It will be critical that you choose to partner with an NAPBS-accredited firm in 2016 for your background screening needs. These companies are compliant, adept at protecting PII, and boast high customer retention rates due to their exceptional accuracy. You’ll definitely want to stay ahead of the employment attorneys and EEOC who will undoubtedly be on the hunt for background check law violations.