Background Screening Solutions are Evolving in the Post Covid Era

2020 goes down in the history books as the year of a long overdue final push for millions to abandon daily commutes to work in city offices in exchange for working from home remotely as well as the beginning of new era of digitalization.

The change was forced upon us by circumstances beyond our control and has not been without its challenges but it was inevitable that one day the virtual home office would replace cubicles and board rooms in tower blocks.

Surprisingly, many CEOs report widespread improvement in productivity since their staff began working remotely, especially in industries such as tech and financial services.

Analysts say they expect the number of home-based workers to double in 2021, and continue to grow over coming years, as businesses which can operate without central or satellite offices embrace the transition to having employees work remotely wherever feasible.

Prospective employees, too, will be demanding the flexibility to work from home as the work-from-home trend continues to grow.

Saving huge chucks of cash (and profits) on expensive office space is a clear benefit for businesses recruiting and employing staff remotely.

The downside is less face-to-face interaction between management and the workforce, especially during the recruitment stage. So what can businesses and HR departments do to stay ahead of the work-at-home trend when it comes to hiring, on boarding, training, and career development and performance management?

Digital Recruiting and Background Screening Solutions

The need to carry on as normal under social distancing restrictions amidst fears of a pandemic has hastened the development of various digital solutions in virtual recruitment from video interviews to online drug screening. Here are some of the platforms and solutions emerging to help employers with virtual screening.

Eligibility Screening

The US and UK government each have online platforms to help companies screen candidates for their eligibility or right to work such as the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form and the E-Verify platform for US employers or the UK’s Employee Immigration Status Checking service.

Social Media Screening

Judging the suitability of an individual from their social media pages and posts is generally not considered a viable way of assessing their suitability for a role. Employers could face litigation for doing so. However, background screening companies do have access to tools which can quickly comb through online content to highlight post and commentary which may indicate behavior that could potentially pose a direct risk to the employer or their workforce such as racial-biased speech, drug abuse, sexual harassment and criminal behaviour.

Drug Screening

Samples of urine, hair, saliva or sweat can be used to test for drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, opiates and phencyclidine (PCP). Testing still has to be done by certified laboratories but methods for performing the tests remotely have vastly improved recently with the proliferation of remote, contactless testing for coronavirus.

Test kits can be delivered to candidates to swab their saliva on a live video feed. The candidate seals the sample during the live feed and then sends it off by courier or post to be tested.

During the past year, clinics and doctors have also been using the coronavirus testing video interviews to assess patients for any external signs of disease before issuing fit-to-fly certificates required by airlines flying to foreign countries.

Virtual Human Resources on The Horizon

Other advancements in digital background screening continue to evolve so they can be integrated with HR suites to check employment records, education credentials, credit history, and perform automated criminal background checks with real time status updates.

While this digital evolution continues to make it quicker and easier for employers to vet applicants before employing them – as well as facilitating continuous screening, testing and assessments during employment – security and privacy remains a paramount priority for employers adapting to the new era.

Employment rules and regulations are keeping up with he trend in digital recruitment to ensure ethical employment standards are maintained.

Using a professional background screening service provider will help you adopt the most suitable technology among the myriad of solutions now available. At Intelimasters we have partnered with leading tech providers to offer a full range of deep background screening solutions, including criminal record and credit checks.

Digital Project & Performance Management Platforms

Working ‘in the cloud’ is now common practice for most modern businesses. Most managers and their teams are familiar with cloud-based applications provided by Google but there’s a vast array of far superior digital platforms on the market which can visualize workflow while monitoring activity and productivity in real time.

Patforms such as Basecamp, Trello and Workzone allow you to completely replace any need for employees in a brick-and-mortar office with functions including:

• Task assignments and tracking
• Real-time KPI dashboard
• Meeting scheduling and shared calendars
• Contact management
• Progress and financial reports
• Quoting and invoicing

Despite our increasing reliance and dependence on digital solutions, real humans will always be behind the scenes of human resource management, perhaps with an even more critical role given the processing power of today’s artificial intelligence.

Contact us for advise on digital screening solutions to fit your business and budget.

***Disclaimer***
Intelimasters is a background screening agency, not a law firm. This article is for informational purposes only. Nothing in it should be considered as legal advice. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific business and/or individual needs.