Even if you are a small company, you are probably dealing with people in other countries in one way or another. At some point you might need to hire a foreign national to work for you, either in their country or to come and work for you locally. The same goes if you are a corporation operating internationally with satellite offices in other countries. That’s when you need a provider to perform a global background check on a local level in other countries – a daunting and challenging task to say the least.
Know the law when doing global background check
Our priority at InteliMasters as a background screening provider performing global background checks for our clients is to make sure our team is fully aware of the laws governing candidate screening locally and abroad. Even if you are hiring someone from another country to work for you in your country, you must operate within the employment and privacy laws governing the candidate’s country as well as your own.
What’s different about a ‘global’ background check?
Global background checks follow the same protocol as national or local background checks but are conducted at a local level in other countries. The screening usually includes the following checks:
- Identification verification
- Education & qualification verification
- Criminal background checks
- Previous employment verification
- Reference checks
Global GDPR Compliance
When conducting a global background check in any European country, we must pay special attention to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is an EU law governing privacy rights for individuals residing and working in the European Union and the European Economic Area.
The regulation contains requirements for processing personal data but allows individual member states to make adjustments for their citizens and the enterprises operating in those member states. As such, recruiters conducting global background checks rely on sound legal advice from background screening service providers with the expertise to navigate the labyrinth of unique regulations in each member state.
As for employers and employees in the United States, they are similarly governed by a myriad of privacy laws concerning many aspects of background screening, including criminal background checks, as each US state has its own versions of these regulations.
Ensure ‘Ban The Box’ compliance with your global background checks in the US
The US ‘Ban The Box’ campaign is one example of state-specific data protection regulations. The policy has so far been adopted by about half of America’s 50 states since it was introduced in the 1990s. Employers recruiting in or from states that have adopted Ban the Box regulations aren’t allowed to ask job applicants about criminal convictions on application forms. The aim of the regulation is to prevent discrimination against individuals on the assumption that they might re-offend, especially given the rise of incarcerations for minor offenses such as Class-C drug possession.
Conclusion:
Global or international background checks are becoming increasingly common as we become better connected across continents. Take driving and delivery jobs as an example, which often rely on employing drivers from other countries, who must be competent enough to work safely in your company’s country.
As with national background checks, only localized searches will give you the results you need to be absolutely sure you are employing people with impeccable records. To achieve this, make sure you use knowledgeable consultants with experts on the ground in those locals from which you are sourcing your workforce.