Conducting Background Checks for Remote Workers: What Employers Must Know
As digitalization grows, more companies adopt better strategies to leverage digital tools and streamline business operations. Most businesses have embraced remote working as a win-win strategy for employers and employees.
However, with remote hires, employee background discrepancies keep increasing, causing problems for human resources departments and the entire company. This article explains why effective background checks are important before hiring remote workers and what employers must know.
The Importance of Background Checks For Remote Workers
While background check is not a mandatory hiring requirement in many industries, it is important to a company for many reasons. This is true for employees who come in physically or even work remotely. Consider some top benefits of background checks on remote workers to a business:
Protects Your Brand Reputation
Whether your employees work in person or remotely, they make up your workforce and represent your brand. Their actions, personalities, and backgrounds influence your reputation and brand identity.
People conclude and form an image of a brand from their product, service, personnel, and interactions with the brand. The quality and caliber of your employees reflect your business values and culture, impacting your brand image. Top industry talents and customers use this to determine whether or not to engage with your brand.
Optimizes Your Investment
Hiring an employee, even remotely, is an investment in your human capital resources. You’ll often spend time and money finding, interviewing, onboarding, and training new employees. Investing these resources into an ineffective employee you fire soon will spell a loss for your business.
An effective background check helps you verify the candidate’s education, skills, and experience provided to help you discern fraudulent candidates before onboarding.
Prevents Moonlighting and Catfishing
Moonlighting is when a remote worker works for two companies simultaneously to earn more. On the other hand, catfishing describes when a worker accepts a job but never shows up on the first day.
These are becoming popular with remote workers and are detrimental to hiring companies. Catfishing wastes employers’ valuable time and resources, while moonlighting exposes them to risks and vulnerabilities.
When an employer works for multiple companies, especially competing firms, they risk confidentiality breaches, compromising data and information security. A moonlighting employee also divides their hours, reducing the remote worker’s productivity. Use detailed background checks to verify reliability and current employment status before hiring.
What Employers Must Remember
While background checks are important for remote employees, employers must go about it carefully to maintain regulatory compliance and effectiveness. Below are two important things to remember when conducting background checks:
Follow Legal Requirements
Employers must follow legal requirements when conducting background checks for remote employees. They must comply with the laws of the state where the company is based and the state where the worker resides.
Conduct Holistic And Frequent Checks
An employee background check is not a one-time activity. While it is crucial when hiring, you must also conduct it periodically to maintain up-to-date information about your employees outside of work.
In addition, always conduct a holistic background check. Don’t just tailor a background check to verify one aspect of the employee’s life. Check from educational background to work status, experience, and social media. A reliable background checker like Triton Canada can help you handle this seamlessly.
Endnote
Background checks are important for every employer, especially when hiring remote workers. They help avoid moonlighting and catfishing, protect your brand reputation, and optimize your investment. However, make these checks holistic and always follow legal requirements when conducting them.