COVID-19 has significantly impacted the daily lives of Americans and people across the world. Literally, no area of our lives has been left untouched by this pandemic, especially employment.
Thousands of companies and small businesses across the United States have made the difficult decision in recent months to layoff or furlough employees in an effort to make ends meet. But one gray area that many employers are unsure of is how to navigate rehiring employees that have either been laid off or furloughed for several months. A furlough is an unpaid, temporary leave of employees due to economic conditions and can be either short or long term.
If you have questions or concerns about rehiring furloughed employees, contact Barada Associates today. Founded in 1979, Barada was one of the first employment screening businesses in the country and has developed a reputation over the years as the leader in the industry. Barada Associates provides reference reports, employment verification, background checks and more to employers nationwide.
Why Background Checks During Reemployment Are Important
Because you want to provide the safest work environment possible for your employees and customers, it’s a smart decision to perform background checks on furloughed workers or employees who have been working from home and are coming back to the office. During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans have either been working from home or furloughed for several months.
During this “new normal,” many courthouses are closed, and domestic violence cases are, unfortunately, on the rise. Some employees may have been arrested for various crimes during this period, and employers should know this information before reemploying them.
We recommend background checks for all industries, but in the specific case of rehiring workers, it’s imperative to background screen those who service vulnerable populations. This includes teachers, healthcare workers and government employees.
What’s Recommended During a Reemployment Screening
Here are some of the background screening services we recommend during the reemployment process:
Criminal Background Check
Checking employees’ criminal backgrounds before they’re rehired is crucial to keep your office space safe. Barada Associates partners with leading law enforcement agencies to ensure background checks are conducted in a legal, responsible manner.
Criminal background checks should be conducted on employees who work with the general population, such as contractors, teachers, healthcare workers and government workers. It’s important to note, though, that just because an employee has been arrested, it doesn’t mean they will be charged or convicted of a crime, so you should consider that during the rehiring process.
We perform several types of background checks, including:
- County-Level Criminal Records Check. Most criminal cases are prosecuted and stored at county courts. We use this check as the foundation for inquiry into the applicant’s criminal history.
- State & Nationwide Criminal Records Check. Criminal record databases are typically incomplete. They cover only selected counties and date ranges and are compiled from various sources. However, they are a useful supplement to county-level criminal record checks. We use state and nationwide searches to expand the inquiry beyond the known states and counties of residence. This increases the probability of finding potential convictions.
- Federal Criminal Records Check. Federal crimes are prosecuted in federal district courts. We use this check to expand your inquiry into the applicant’s criminal history.
- Sex Offender Registry Check. Most states provide centralized services that can be used to check whether an applicant is registered as a convicted sex offender.
- Global Homeland Security Search. Our Office of Foreign Assets Control search services can amplify other criminal record search data by querying watch lists from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, including a global terrorist search.
Credit Report Check
We don’t recommend credit report checks for all industries but, depending on the employee’s responsibilities, a credit check can be a useful tool to learn how the candidate handles his or her own finances.
Consider conducting a credit report check if you’re rehiring an employee who handles money on a daily basis, such as in the banking or financial industry, and government workers who are responsible for taxpayer money.
Drug Testing
Employees with drugs in their system are not only less productive, but they post a risk to other employees, customers and society as a whole. Barada Associates partners with reputable, national laboratories to test employees for all types of drugs and chemicals.
Monitoring
Depending on the industry, businesses may want to consider monitoring their workforce on a monthly or quarterly basis. Barada Associates bounces employees’ names against a national database to check for any new offenses. With routine monitoring, employers will know if any employee has been arrested, charged or convicted of a crime and what type of offense it was.
Contact Barada Associates for Background Screening Services
We understand this is a difficult and stressful time for many employers and especially employees who have been laid off or furloughed. Implementing background screening, however, is a smart business decision to ensure you’re rehiring or hiring people that are safe to be around your business and work with co-workers and customers.
If you’re considering rehiring employees, contact Barada Associates. We’ll work with your company to develop an individualized background screening plan that suits your business’ needs. We can typically have results back within 72 hours. For more information or to request a quote or set up a meeting, contact Barada Associates today.