Report: Risk Management is Top Reason for Background Checks

Published: May 26, 2008Author: CS Staff

IRVINE, Calif. – HireRight Inc. has released its 2008 HireRight Background Screening Benchmarking Report. Survey respondents indicated that the top three reasons they screen employees are risk management, quality of hire, and workplace safety.

According to the company, the study, which is available at www.hireright.com/benchmarking, is based on a comprehensive survey of security and human resources professionals from organizations of a wide range of sizes and industries. It addresses the key factors influencing employment screening programs today, the scope of their screening programs, the methods they use in operating their screening programs and the types of background checks they most commonly perform.

Specific findings include:

Top Three Reasons for Background Screening

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86% say Risk Management
66% say Quality of Hire
45% say Workplace Safety
33% say To Reduce Theft & Fraud
27% say Other Compliance
18% say To Reduce Turnover
14% say SOX Compliance
10% say Patriot Act
7% say DOT Guidelines
6% say Other

Are You Using the DHS E-Verify System?

31% say No, But Evaluating
25% say Yes, All Employees
21% say No, Do Not Plan To
5% say Yes, Some Employees

What Types of Checks Do You Perform?

93% say Education Verifications
88% say Employment Verifications
85% say SSN Checks and Criminal Records
68% say Driving Records
67% say Drug Testing
36% say Credit Checks
28% say Licenses Verifications
27% say Reference Checks
19% say Military Records
18% say Sanctions Checks
13% say Social Networks

Does Your Company Policy Require Vendors To Conduct Non-U.S. Screens?

59% say No
41% say Yes

What Types of Non-U.S. Screening Does Your Company Policy Require?

35% say U.S. Hires
28% say Both
27% say Do Not Perform
6% say Other
5% say Non-U.S. Hires

According to HireRight, the survey was conducted to provide human resources and security professionals with relevant information they can use to compare their employment screening practices with their peers. The information helps organizations identify strengths and weaknesses and improve their employment screening processes and programs. Hundreds of individuals from organizations of many sizes and industries, doing business in many regions around the world, participated in the HireRight 2008 Background Screening Benchmarking Survey.

“We believe the 2008 HireRight Background Screening Benchmarking Report is a valuable tool organizations can use to assess their own screening programs in the context of the practices of their peers,” said Rob Pickell, vice president of marketing and product management, HireRight Inc. in a statement released by the company “Whether you are an employer looking to do background checking for the first time or already have a comprehensive screening program in place, this report can help you by providing a consolidated view into how other organizations are approaching their employment screening programs today.”

The 2008 HireRight Background Screening Benchmarking Survey was conducted between January and March 2008, using an electronic questionnaire that respondents completed online. Dozens of questions were included to gather information on topics such as screening programs and their management, organizational strategic and tactical plans, and common screening policies and practices. Invitations to participate in the HireRight Background Screening Benchmarking Survey were distributed via e-mail and results were combined and reported anonymously. Participants included individuals from organizations that perform employment background screening today, ranging from large businesses with more than 25,000 employees to small businesses with less than 100 employees.

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