Background screening every single candidate is not cost-effective, yet maintaining a safe work environment is critical. There are a number of ways to verify an employee's identity before he or she comes on board so as to ensure a no-surprises approach to hiring and on-boarding talent.
The term "identity theft" conjures up images of hackers stealing credits cards for online purchases or scenes from "The Bourne Identity." In the workplace, however, a more common scenario is when someone uses someone else's name and Social Security number to land a job in the United States. Oftentimes, it is an illegal immigrant seeking legitimate employment - a paycheck and benefits - who cannot apply for a SSN firsthand. In fact, experts suggest that almost 75 percent of illegal aliens are using fraudulent Social Security cards to obtain employment.
One of the biggest issues employers must tackle when recruiting new talent is to verify the individual's identity and authorization to work; however, this cannot be done until an employee is actually hired.
Many companies with high-volume hiring requirements are considering proactive measures to make sure employees are really who they say they are.
An action that can be easily implemented pre-hire is asking a series of knockout questions during the application process, such as, "Do you have a driver's license?" In this way, applicants can be sorted into those who do and those who don't. Additionally, letting applicants know during the interview process that any job offer is predicted on the successful completion of a background check, drug screening and identification verification will help filter out those applicants who know they cannot successfully pass these.
Post-hire, employers can ensure that their staff members are legal by using a combination of the federal government's E-Verify system and the Social Security Number Verification System. Other companies offer services to verify identity against public databases and provide a detailed report. For example, the person with real estate holdings in multiple states is unlikely to be applying for work in a poultry processing plant.
Being audited by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement means lost productivity and brand damage. Employers who knowingly hire or knowingly continue to employ unauthorized workers face civil penalties from $250 to $11,000 per violation. Even in high-volume, minimum-wage hiring situations, some employers have chosen to put pre-hire assessment testing in place. In addition to interview knockout questions, these pre-hire assessment tests require candidates to be consistent in their responses to behavioral and skills-related questions. Some tests are designed to help determine who is truthful as well as what their tendencies will be once they're hired into the job. Even in high turnover situations, a penny spent on pre-hire assessments can help significantly lower costs over the long term.
There's another significant aspect of identity verification employers ought to consider. Hiring is on the increase, but the supply of candidates still outweighs the demand. With no additional recruiters or HR staff to help qualify the plethora of candidates, employers can consider instituting a "rehire eligibility check" as part of the pre-hire qualification process. Not all former employees are qualified candidates for positions in other employer locations. This approach can be particularly helpful in preventing someone fired for stealing at one location from being hired at another. These checks are especially meaningful in industries such as staffing, retail and restaurants.
Identity theft cannot be dismissed or ignored when it comes to hiring. Whether the illegal employment is intentional or merely due to an oversight or lack of knowledge, the employer bears the burden of the fines, and the person whose identity has been compromised may be subject to years of red tape to undo the damage. Rather than risk compromising their companies' reputation, employers should consider reliable employee verification checks to remove uncertainty in the recruiting process and have the protection and assurance that the candidates they hire really are who they say they are.
Compiled by ; Hemant Gade
Hemant@JobsEnsure.com
http://www.jobsensure.com
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