Background checks

Prairie · November 2006

We recently signed on with a new, reputable, background check provider. Our Human Resources Committee has requested that I do (catch-up) background checks on existing employees in addition to new hires. All background checks will include criminal and MVR. Credit checks will be done on employees who handle money. Some of these employees have been here for years. I am getting some resistance on the credit checks, and one employee refuses to authorize the sending of his social security number to the background check provider. I am curious if anyone does periodic checks on current employees, and if so, what does the background check include and does that include credit checks?

Open1 · November 2006

We don't do background checks on current employees, but I've done so in the past with other employers usually as a condition of a promotion or transfer. Is there a problem with the current employees and that's why the committee wants to check on them?

Did your employee who is holding out on his SS# sign anything when he started employment authorizing you to do this? If not, you have the option of giving him some time off work (say 3 to 5 days) to think it over and if he doesn't OK it by the end of the period he's no longer employed. I don't believe it's fair to the rest of the employees who are cooperating to let him get away with it.

Prairie · November 2006

There is no problem with current employees that we know of. We have background checks on all employees who have been hired in the past 4 years. Our policy manual says that criminal background checks are performed at least once during every three years of continuous employment. It was just never done on employees who were hired before I came. MVR checks are done every 12 months on employees who drive our vehicles. The employee who is holding out on his SS# is our Director of Finance. I'll let the committee decide what to do with him, but I think your suggestion is a good one.

Background checks

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