We are more than half a year into the massive time-out forced on us by COVID-19. Our lives are changing significantly even before we could get ready for the transformation.

Almost 16 million – is the number of new subscribers Netflix has added from January to March of 2020 as people are ‘streaming’ more than ever! Social distancing has phenomenally disrupted the lives of movie-addicts who find themselves forced to opt for personalized entertainment through OTT platforms. Now, that is certainly a huge change.

The world is scrambling to define the ‘new normal’ and changes are happening across all areas with pre-employment background checking being no exception. Organizations worldwide have been focusing on ‘pandemic-proofing’ their employment background checks to ensure they pick the right talent despite the constraints; all the while ensuring to offer a positive candidate experience, and stay compliant to the new legal amendments.

Let’s look at a few major background screening trends that you as an employer need to know to screen your potential employees efficiently.

1. Anticipated Delays in Screening
Employers are experiencing noticeable delays in screening candidates because of the inability to receive information from courts and educational institutions owing to their temporary closure. Several people who managed to clear interviews in this pandemic are seen to be waiting to join their organizations because their screening reports are still pending.

COVID-19 has made educational verification a tough nut to crack in few countries in the APAC region as they demand physical visits to ascertain the credibility of the qualifications mentioned by the candidate.

Employers are now forced to make the best decisions possible with whatever information is available in the form of digitized records. Large employers are seen to use automated methods for employment verification. As long as the repositories holding employment records remain operational, employment verifications can proceed with minimal to no obstructions.

Read this case study: Pre-employment screening solutions for a leading IT organization

2. Drug Testing is Changing
Pre-employment drug testing is becoming a tough nut to crack since COVID-19 began spreading. In-person visits are not being permitted in labs due to which employers are not able to perform drug screening as per conventional processes.
You may also find candidates hesitant to visit busy public labs for testing. In regulated industries where drug testing cannot be forgone, there might not be other options than to plan for delays and reschedule your hiring process.

In a few other industries, alternative options exist. Several clinics offer specimen collection services with text-ahead services – candidates can book appointments online prior. They will be reached by the lab technicians whenever they are available. The best part is that candidates can remain self-isolated in their cars until being reached rather than in the waiting room. Some employers are also choosing alternative ways like mobile collection services that reach out to the candidates directly at their homes.

Oral fluid testing is also gaining attention. Candidates can swab their mouths while the observer remains at a distance safely. A quick swab can help you test the candidate for recent usage of cocaine, opiates, cannabinoids, and other narcotic drugs. Trained observers are even assisting candidates in the oral fluid collection through video conferencing apps so that candidates collect the oral fluids in the right manner, seal it properly, and deliver it at the labs.

3. Post-employment Background Screening – a viable option?
Employers are recently looking at conducting a background-check after employees are recruited into the organization. Yes, you read that right! They choose to hire based on whatever relevant information is available to them and are opting to postpone background screening for a time later when all courts and educational institutions are open to verify records.
While post-hire background checks on employees look like a viable option, employers should remain aware of the risk that they may face by making wrong hires – spending time training new hires only to fire them due to findings obtained by screening them.

As an employer, you may want to check your background screening disclosures provided to employees and ensure that there is an option regarding future background checks that they have assented to. Even then, it is always better to notify employees and receive consent from them whenever you want to perform a screening check.

With background check for employment being a crucial step in the recruitment process, neglecting it will bring serious repercussions. Companies will have to look for more viable and compliant options to meet this need while selecting background check companies. It is essential that you choose a background checker who can adapt to the circumstances and tweak their solutions to support your talent recruitment process.

Are you interested to know how your organization can leverage these global background screening trends to conduct a seamless background check? Drop-in a line via irene.jones@neeyamo.com and our screening experts will reach out to you.

This was first published on www.neeyamo.com