Best Practices for Compliant Screening in 2023

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Many people set personal New Year's resolutions, whether it be learning a new hobby, healthier eating, or choosing to step outside your comfort zone. But setting goals for the New Year can also be helpful in the workplace. Reevaluating your background screening compliance practices can help improve workplace safety and productivity, setting up your organization for hiring success in 2023.

To ring in the New Year, we’re taking a look at how organizations can build a compliant screening strategy. By understanding how to achieve compliance success, your organization will be one step closer to achieving the professional goals you set for 2023.

Adhere to Screening Laws

Compliant screening must start by learning the appropriate laws. While applicable laws vary from state to state, there are some common screening laws that most organizations need to abide by in order to achieve screening compliance. 

Before you nail down your screening strategy, here are three policies that should be taken into consideration in order to make sure you’re adhering to the screening laws within your state.

1. Fair Credit Reporting Act - Enacted in 1970, this law protects information contained in the files of consumer reporting agencies by limiting access to consumer reports to only the intended purposes outlined in the act. 
2. Ban the Box Laws - This law ensures that employers consider an applicant’s qualifications before looking into their conviction or arrest record. This act has been adopted in 37 states and over 150 cities. 
3. Equal Employment Opportunity - Otherwise known as Executive Order 11246, this act prohibits organizations from discriminating against applicants based on their sex, race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or national origin. 

Every organization should educate themselves on the laws that affect hiring practices in their city and state. To ensure your screening process is fully compliant, consider consulting legal counsel to address specific concerns. 

Research Best Practices

What was once the best practice for your strategy a year ago certainly may not be today. As your organization grows, your screening needs may too! Researching how you can utilize screening to the best potential for your organization regularly will help you understand what would work best for your strategy.

Check out these resources:

• Webinars - Many great organizations offer webinars on current updates to hiring laws. These webinars may bring in legal representatives to speak on compliance tactics and answer your specific questions. 
• Law firm publications - Many reputable law firms will put out publications on existing laws in your area. These publications will help you understand how the changes affect hiring best practices for your organization. 
• Talent Acquisition (TA) tech stack capabilities - Creating a TA tech stack that supports your hiring process can help streamline compliance. To learn more about TA tech stack capabilities in 2023, check out State of Talent Acquisition Tech: 2023 Trends.

Partner with a Background Screening Company

For those professionals who feel overwhelmed by screening best practices, partnering with a background screening company may be the best way to ensure compliance. Partnering with a screening company can better ensure compliance with the FCRA and help prevent applicants from feeling like they were unfairly treated based on inaccurate or incomplete information reported on their background checks. 

Verified First can help you achieve screening success all in one place. We offer compliant screens for every industry, including drug screens, criminal background checks, civil records, and more. Verified First is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA), verifying our commitment to providing high-quality and compliant products and services to our clients. Our screening capabilities can be integrated into your ATS platform, reducing the need for duplicate data entry. Utilizing our screens can alleviate unnecessary stress on you and keep your strategy compliant without having to personally stay up to date on compliance best practices.

In Conclusion

Start 2023 with a fresh take on screening practices within your organization. To learn more about how Verified First can help your organization stay compliant, reach out to us to learn more.