How to Design an Employee Background Check Policy
- 1). Write the essential items needed to check employee backgrounds into your policy. Your list may involve things such as criminal records, credit, qualifications, personal and professional references and validation of former employment.
- 2). Establish who is responsible for conducting the employee background checks and write it into the policy. Recording it at the time of designing the policy clearly establishes accountability. Staff background checks may be done by one of your staff or by an outside agency.
- 3). Design a form that staff have to complete. Request exact information, including contact details for personal and professional references. As part of your employee background check policy, have all the paperwork in place.
- 4). Draw up your general guidelines and stipulate exactly which employees will have their backgrounds checked. If, for instance, you are re-hiring someone for another contract position, does the employee's background have to be checked again? Make it part of your policy.
- 5). Make sure your staff background check policy complies with state and federal statutes, such as the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.