Background checks are standard practice for most companies when considering a new hire. They do this to keep their employees safe, find employees who are a good fit for the company, pick the best prospects, and avoid legal trouble.
Even though it may seem obvious to do background checks on prospective employees, some companies nevertheless may be wary of the potential drawbacks. If you’re debating whether or not to use background checks in your company’s hiring process, here are some arguments for and against.
The Importance of Turnaround Time in Background Screening
Background check turnaround times matter to your business because they affect how quickly you can fill open positions and bring new employees on board. In fact, starting the onboarding process and adding new personnel to the payroll is facilitated by completing background checks as quickly as possible.
A complete background check, including an employment sanctions check and verification of licenses and other qualifications, is an essential part of the healthcare hiring process. Your background check service must execute these checks promptly, thoroughly, and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations from organizations like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Office of Inspector General (OIG). By finishing these steps promptly, you can keep candidates interested in working for your company and less likely to go elsewhere for employment.
Reasons in Favor of Quick Background Checks
LinkedIn data indicates that the typical hiring process for healthcare professionals takes 40 days. However, if there are any holdups in the employment process, that number might easily rise to 50 days, 60 days, or even longer. When your healthcare organization takes too long to fill positions, it can have negative implications on patient care.
On the flip side, here are some advantages you might reap from running background checks quickly:
1. Possibility of a quicker hiring process
2. Improvements to the application process
3. Expediting the process of being productive in one’s position at work
Negatives: Dangers Associated with Putting Tempo Above All Else
In the case of time-sensitive commercial procedures, speed isn’t always preferable. Prioritizing velocity over thoroughness in a healthcare background check system is a recipe for disaster. You run the danger of running an inaccurate process, and you also raise the likelihood of inaccuracies in background check results, which might delay things while the mistakes are examined and fixed.
The following are some of the drawbacks that can arise from prioritizing a quick background check over other considerations:
1. Key data in a person’s background, such as gaps in employment or lack of credentials, may be missed in a hastily conducted background check.
2. Background check companies should not rush through the screening process, since doing so increases the likelihood of mistakes and the potential for the company to miss out on a wonderful prospect or select someone who poses a risk.
3. It is possible that information that should be redacted from a background check report, such as bankruptcies older than 10 years or jail records older than 7 years, will be included because of a flaw in the screening process.
How to Get High-Quality and Accurate Background Checks, Fast
The 2021 PBSA annual employer poll found that turnaround time was the second most critical element after accuracy when selecting a background screening service. However, 83% of employers cited quality and accuracy as vital, showing that they do not prioritize speed over accuracy.
You’ll be able to maximize both speed and accuracy by following these steps. You don’t have to choose.
Create well-defined procedures for performing background checks.
You’ll need all the aid you can get in today’s healthcare job market to streamline the background check process and cut down on the time it takes to hire new staff. When you have a well-defined, all-encompassing screening policy and a set of automated processes in place, you can conduct background checks quickly.
Paperless disclosure and authorization and mass background check requests can help you save time and feel less overwhelmed when dealing with unusual circumstances or candidate disagreements, respectively.
Establish the sweet spot between turnaround time and precision.
Work with a screening provider who can give industry-leading turnaround times while still delivering a thorough background check instead of falling for the claims of a “instant background check” that is delivered swiftly but only provides part of a candidate’s background.
These are some of the features you should anticipate from a screening service:
1. In-depth familiarity with all of the essential criteria for conducting a complete healthcare background check
2. Improve the effectiveness of your screening program using our exclusive technologies.
3. There are built-in alerts that let you know when background check reports need your attention.
Understand the factors affecting turnaround time delays.
The time it takes to conduct a background check can vary depending on a number of internal and external factors. Having this knowledge will allow you to better plan for and deal with delays. For instance, if you partner with a screening service that monitors federal and state court delays, you’ll be aware of areas where turnaround times are more likely to be extended and can inform candidates appropriately.
There are other potential causes of background screening delays, all of which can be mitigated with the aid of your background check service.
1. Inadequate details about the candidates
2. Hiring and screening procedures that are done manually.
3. Response lag from institutions used to verify employment and education
Take advantage of a service that uses cutting-edge technology for background checks.
The efficiency of modern background screening technology allows you to request background checks more quickly and receive results more quickly. Automating the disclosure and authorization stages as well as the drug screening and scheduling stages of a background check complements the knowledge and judgment of screening analysts.
Here are some of the advantages you’ll get by teaming up with a screening firm that makes use of cutting-edge technologies for background checks:
1. Recruiting software integrations, allowing for faster data collecting
2. Optional in-app messaging between recruiters and candidates for more rapid clarification and response.
3. Quickly review case summaries as they become available thanks to our efficient case views.
Are Background Checks for Employment Worth it?
When weighing the benefits and drawbacks, it’s clear that employment background checks are a net positive for your business. An organization’s brand and employees’ well-being can both benefit from and be safeguarded by conducting thorough background checks on prospective employees.
Background checks should be a standard element of any hiring process to give you confidence that the people you’re putting into positions of trust will do a good job. Checking the backgrounds of prospective employees can help businesses save money by warding off theft and fraud on the inside and protecting them from claims of negligent hiring. By partnering with a reputable service like FEFPS, you may sidestep many of the disadvantages of doing pre-employment screenings.
Bring about the possibility of quick, thorough background checks
It is not always obvious which combination of activities will result in the most significant improvement given all the elements affecting your capacity to receive high-quality, rapid background checks. It can be difficult to know what to do and when to do it without first doing a complete evaluation of your background screening program with your background screening supplier.
An audit of your background screening program is an excellent method to examine the overall health of your program and identify areas where you can introduce new best practices, including identifying process inefficiencies that could be slowing down background check turnaround times.