In an article posted on the SHRM website, they discuss screening temporary employees and share the advice that screening should not be ignored when you bring a temporary employee in to your organization. The article goes on to mention that, with the tightening labor market, temporary and contract employees are making up 10-30 percent of the average work force in US Companies.

Some employers choose not to screen their temporary or contract employees, assuming that the agency that places them are doing the screening. Some agencies do screen those employees. However, if you don’t have guidelines set up with the agency on what you will accept for screening, the agency may only be doing minimal checking – such as criminal checks in the county of residence only.

The article does continue by stating “Ultimately, it’s the responsibility of HR to ensure that those workers don’t inflict damage on the organization and its people, buildings and reputation…These people have the keys to the kingdom. Once they’re inside your building, they have access to your files and have the potential to do great harm.”

A Benchmarking survey that was conducted by a screening company found that fewer than half of companies screen their temporary labor. Industry statistics show that temporary workers are more than 50 percent more likely than full-time workers to have a felony or drug related record.

Basically you have two options. You can screen those contracted and temporary employees through your screening system, or you can communicate with the agencies and have them follow your screening protocol. If you supply them with guidelines on the level of screening you expect to be performed, they will need to comply in order to keep your business. If a staffing vendor tells you they already do background checks, this may not be much of a defense for an employer if the check is considered inadequate or ineffective. For this reason, you need to have adequate due diligence in order to head off any potential problem down the road.