Mass layoffs, store and restaurant closures have left many hourly workers concerned about income and insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retailers, such as Amazon, Instacart and Domino's Pizza, are taking advantage of an expanded talent pool to hire nearly a half a million employees. It's important that these employers hire efficiently as the situation and customer demand calls for it. Can employers hire quickly and still protect their interests?

Here are best practices retailers are using to hire quickly during a pandemic.

Due to social distancing/quarantine requirements across the country, employment or tenant background checks can be affected. Select courthouses in various states have temporarily closed onsite access.  Automated (electronic) access may still be available.

In states where not all courts have closed (only select Counties), VeriFirst clients can talk to us about options to conduct electronic court searches, national database searches, and/or statewide criminal searches.

We urge HR teams to contact us to discuss options for screening applicants and employees during these closures. Options may include modifying current background check packages and/or proactively submitting requests to stay ahead of researcher backlogs. 

The following list  includes current courthouse closures that may affect background check turnaround times.

The future of work is remote, according to statistics, and more employers are making accommodations to meet the trend. Whether they're meeting the demands of a tight labor market or the necessity of a public health scare, employers are integrating telecommuting, flexible work days and remote workers into their workforce at a rapid pace. There are plenty of questions surrounding these accommodations - the right tools, the right technology - but the most important component in a successful remote workforce is the right employee.

When implementing a new telecommuting policy, can employers trust remote workers?  

Last month, retailer The Body Shop announced that they would take a different approach to their hiring process. Doing away with the typical application-interview-background-check, the cosmetic company has decided on a simple short interview to determine the employment status of applicants. The intention, much like "ban the box" or other fair chance laws, is to reduce hiring bias and discrimination. The available jobs are then up for grabs to the first applicants who can answer "yes" to the three interview questions. 

While reducing bias is the intention, what are the risks of an "open hiring®" policy?

When employers want highly qualified top talent, they seek out the best with those skills. Finding an employment background check service is no different.  Some background check services may offer bundled packages or volume discounts. Others may allow employers to pick and choose. Depending on the employer needs, one may be a better fit than the other, much like the talent they need as well. While cost is important,  there is more to an employee background check than price.

What's the best employment background check service? Here's what to look for.

With more states legalizing marijuana use for medical and recreational use, employers have a right to be concerned.  VeriFirst has previously acknowledged that employers have the right to terminate an employee if they test positive for marijuana, however, some states are fighting against this. Even though marijuana is still considered a Schedule 1 substance under federal law, states like Nevada and California are considering or passing legislation to rule out drug screening for pot.

Let's take a look at states changing laws regarding pre-employment drug screening for marijuana and what it could mean for employers.

Human resources professionals face daily pressure to hire the right personnel, quickly and efficiently.  They're also tasked with ensuring the new hires are qualified, meet job requirements, fit the personality profile and are adaptable enough to grow with the organization. After a while, a hiring manager may feel that they can see right through exaggerated resumes or lies during an interview.  A background check will also offer more information to determine a worthy candidate. So, what happens when human resources notices something amiss with their candidate?

When HR notices red flags during the hiring process, what happens next?

Much of the success of your business depends on your brand reputation and your brand reputation depends on your employees. Everyone who works for your business represents your company. Not only do you want to hire great employees, you want to keep them around. Employee turnover requires more work, more time and more resources than hiring right the first time. 

Here are best practices for reducing your company's employee turnover ...

Diversion and Inclusion (D & I) have been the topic for HR managers for a few years now.  The truth is, diversity and inclusion is helpful to the business as a whole, not only as a human resources policy. In 2015, the U.S. Census reported that, for the first time in history, a majority of children (50.2%) under age 5 were considered part of an ethnic group or a minority race. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2018 that 83.9 % of chief executives were white males.  There simply is no reason not to include diversity and inclusion in your business to better reflect your customers and the changing population of the country.

Here's how HR affects diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Hiring managers look to criminal background checks to provide accurate and relevant data for their hiring decisions. When a criminal background check reveals an arrest or conviction, it doesn't necessarily mean that the candidate is no longer eligible for the job.  Unfortunately, it's not that cut and dry. The manager has a lot to consider:

• Can they use arrest records without conviction?
• Does the record pass individualized assessment?
• Are the records true, timely and accurate?

It's important to understand the data that is provided in a criminal background check and when it's available. There could also be criminal charges that haven't made it to the report yet. 

Let's take a closer look ...