"We're very impressed with your skill set and are happy to offer you the job.... pending a background check investigation."

Even to those with nothing to hide, the second part of that sentence can shatter nerves of steel for job seekers. They wonder, "What will they find?" And, "Have I done anything wrong that I can't recall?" Or "What about that one mistake I made in college?"

Your recruiting and hiring staff can help ease these fears when running employment background checks.

Most employees expect to be screened during the hiring process. It may be a surprise to find that employers do have the right to run a background check post-hire. In both cases, the employee must have given written consent to be screened and the employer must follow adverse action procedures. The reasons for running a background check after hiring vary depending on industry, promotions or other events that may trigger an employer to screen again.

Can an Employer Run a Background Check after Hiring?

The efficiency of your company hiring process is more important than ever. Candidates go to websites like Glassdoor and others to share their experiences with any other potential candidate. Creating a positive candidate experience is crucial to attracting a quality pool of applicants as well as protecting your brand image. For a business that wants to hire the right employees, reducing time-to-hire is one way to improve the hiring experience. It's not necessary to cut corners to reduce the time from placing an ad to hiring an employee. 

How to reduce time-to-hire without putting your business at risk.

The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) last week announced that they are rebranding as the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA). Founded in 2003, the organization promotes and establishes ethical business practices and legislative compliance within the background screening industry. 

VeriFirst is proud to be PBSA Accredited!

With the NAPBS name change, we wanted to share what this accreditation represents to background screening companies and employers. 

NAPBS changes their name to PBSA.

New York, New Jersey and Kansas City employers are banning employers from asking the question of salary history during pre-employment hiring practices. They join a host of states and cities that have done the same - Alabama, Atlanta, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New York City, Oregon, Philadelphia, Vermont and Washington.

Even if your city or state hasn't enacted any legislation regarding salary history, it is important for employers to stay alert. Some of these bans are already in effect and some will go into effect within the next year or two.  Read more to find out why.

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Drug-Free Workplace Act requiring employers of federal workers and certain federal contractors to adopt a drug-free workplace policy and create drug-free awareness programs. Today, many employers have chosen to adopt these policies and programs as the norm. If your organization is considering implementing a drug-free workplace or already has one in place, this post will offer what to consider, reasons to adopt the policy, drug screening practices and more.

Read more to learn about screening practices and how to implement a drug-free workplace.

VeriFirst works with many Professional Sports Teams and Stadium managers across the United States. A number of our clients have obtained or are in the process of obtaining SAFETY Act Certification for their stadium and facilities. At a high level, they are doing this to mitigate risk, ensure the safety of their fans and facilities, and leverage a number of additional benefits that are associated with being SAFETY Act Certified.

Read more to learn:

• What is the SAFETY Act?
• Who should obtain SAFETY Act designations and certifications?
• Does the SAFETY Act require or recommend employee or personnel background checks?

Employers are at an interesting era of creating a multigenerational workforce. Workplaces are more diversified than ever and now include five different generations:

• The "Silent Generation": born from 1928 - 1945 (2% of the U.S. workforce)
• Baby Boomers: born 1946 - 1964 (25% of workforce)
• Generation X: born 1965 - 1980 (33% of workforce)
• Millennials (Generation Y): born 1981 - 1996 (35% of workforce)
• Generation Z: born 1997 - (5% of workforce)¹

In and of itself, a workforce made up of employees aged 72+ down to 18 years of age can face challenges of working together, finding inclusive motivation and battling stereotypes. Examining background checks of these groups is even more enlightening. 

Here's what to expect on background checks of a multigenerational workforce.