Why Background Screening Leads to Lawsuits

Simple Steps Companies Can Take to Protect Themselves

Online background check websites make it appear to unwitting employers that running an employment screening on a new hire is as simple and safe as booking a flight on Expedia, but cheaper. The ubiquity of background check websites and third party agencies make it seem like this service is a simple commodity, and that they all offer the same level of protection. In fact, you (the employer) should be extremely wary of choosing a background check provider based on cost or perceived ease of access. Not only might you get inaccurate results, your company might also get sued. Just ask companies like Amazon, Wells Fargo, and Target, which are all being hit with multi-million dollar lawsuits for incorrectly screening job applicants¹.

Companies who thoughtlessly outsource their pre-employment screening to under-qualified background screening agencies can end up endangering their employees, their finances, and their reputations. It all comes down to information: what can you view and when can you view it. And don't count on the big databases to make those decisions for you.

To ensure your business doesn't pay the price for background checks that go wrong, your pre-employment background screening process needs to be handled by a partner who thoroughly understands federal and local statutes regarding information disclosure and consideration.

The Dangers of Bad Background Checks

There are a number of things that can trip you up and expose you to liability when running background checks, and be aware, outsourcing the work to third party or running it online does not automatically offer protection.

Read on for a checklist of pitfalls to watch out for:

Written Consent

Failing to get written consent by the candidate through a standalone disclosure before running a background check on a candidate is against the law in most instances². A good screening partner will make sure all consent documents are not only signed, but signed legibly, in all applicable places, and by the intended screening recipient. Electronic waivers are even better. They don't get lost, and they're easier to organize.

Mistaken Identity in a Background Check

When background screening agencies run a check, they may provide you with crimes committed by other people of the same name. It's a common misconception that every crime is stored by social security number. Name and date of birth (DOB) still play a huge role. If you rescind a job offer based on a misreading of the screening or database reports, you could be liable. A recent PBS article details the case of Kevin A. Jones, who was denied a job because of a mistaken identity on a poorly reviewed background check. The error cost him a job opportunity, to which he responded by hiring legal counsel to refute the claims found in the screening -- a suit he won³.

Not Allowing Screening Recipients to Respond to Findings

The Federal Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA, mandates that applicants have the right to review the results of their background check and to contest them. When making an adverse decision against a job candidate, employers are required to make the background check report available to them, give them enough time to review the report, and either dispute it or respond with an explanation. Additionally, employers must send a copy of "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act" along with the background check report⁴.

Collecting Information Beyond Legal Bounds

Legal issues arise when employers rescind an offer after checking for information beyond the legal scope of a pre-employment background check. Medical records and genetic information are prohibited; checking them to determine an applicant's job-worthiness is considered discrimination. In 8 states, employers can't look at convictions older than 7 years⁵. It's important you're up-to-date with your state and city laws before running background checks, or work with a third party agency that ensures your compliance. The 7 year limit is just one of many complex legal boundaries restricting what you can and cannot take into account; the best of the agencies will scrub clean the background screening results of any information you are not legally allowed to weigh when making a hiring decision - before you look at the report.

Reading the Database Reports Before They Are Scrubbed

A common error is relying too heavily on the databases that are widely available, and notoriously inaccurate. Online criminal database screenings must be combined with court record repository searches for the best, safest results. Then, they should be scrubbed of non-actionable items like arrest records, expunged crimes, and other variety of data that frequently shows up in the reports - data that will get you in trouble if you see it and act on it.