Some states are moving away from allowing employers to request criminal information as part of the hiring process. Known as “Ban the Box”, companies are restricted from having applicants check a box to indicate a criminal history.
The result of this restriction is that an increasing number of companies are performing background checks on candidates prior to hiring them. Background checks have strict regulations dictated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Requirements for FCRA compliance:
1.) Obtain written permission from the specific consumer prior to receiving the consumer report.
2.) Explain to the consumer the use of the consumer report.
3.) Proper use of the information within the consumer report.
4.) If deciding not to hire or to terminate employment, a copy of the report must be given to the consumer along with a Pre-Adverse Action Letter and a Summary of their Rights Under the FCRA.
5.) If deciding not to hire or to terminate employment, the consumer must be given an opportunity to dispute any information within the consumer report.
6.) If the consumer does not dispute the report, then an Adverse Action Letter is sent to the consumer.
Reflynk is a software that immensely improves the reference checking process, but as mentioned before, hiring managers have to abide by specific rules. Background checks can be done in the hiring stage if they are done correctly. It should be noted that issues with FCRA compliance come from performing background checks.
Reflynk is considered an investigative consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and thus requires clients to adhered to all requirements under the FCRA.
In order to assist the hiring process even more, Reflynk partners with Safe Hiring Solutions. Safe Hiring Solutions is a FCRA compliant comprehensive background screening firm. The background check is completed by Safe Hiring and then provided through Reflynk. In fact, for little or no extra charge for the employer, SafeVisitor, Safe Hiring’s Visitor Management software, can be bundled with Reflynk. If the applicant is paying for the background check, for a few dollars more, Reflynk can be included in the package. This allows the employer to get information from references regarding the candidate’s past performance, as well as a detailed summary of the candidate’s criminal record.
Want to learn more about Reflynk and how it can be used with Safe Hiring Solutions?
Sign up to attend a webinar: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/5971157761955085827