CONTRACT EMPLOYEES
Because of changes coming from Washington, more and more companies are using contract employees. The question has been asked, “Do contract employees need to have background and reference checks done on them?” If contract employees are being hired, they should be checked in just the same way that any employee would be. If a contractor is used to doing work or providing services to your company, part of the agreement between the parties should include a paragraph that requires the contractor to conduct background checks that mirror the ones you do when you hire a new employee. Put another way, regardless of who’s doing the hiring, the pre-employment screening package should be the same, whether the employees hired are full-time, part-time, contract or are hired by an outside contractor. The risk of not insisting on consistent background and reference checking practices is just too great to ignore.