August 22, 2011 - Accreditation.....An Earned Achievement!
Written by Heidi Seaton, Director of Compliance
Orange Tree Employment Screening recently undertook a project to make sure we’re as good at Background Screening as we think we are!
The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) last year rolled out a program called the Background Screeners Agency Accreditation Program (BSAAP). The program consists of a review of policy and procedures followed by an on-site inspection to assure compliance with a number of industry best practices and federal and state regulations. The topics that we were audited against included: Data and Information Security standards, Legal and Compliance, Client Education, Research Standards, Verification Standards, and Business Practices (especially around client and vendor due diligence practices, character and ethics and our quality processes). Orange Tree is very proud to announce that last week we were notified by the NAPBS Background Screening Credentialing Council that we had successfully complete the program and were officially Accredited by NAPBS.
We could not be more pleased by this outcome and are proud to acknowledge that we have embraced the mission of the program: “The Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program advances professionalism in the employment screening industry through the promotion of best practices, awareness of legal compliance, and development of standards that protect consumers.”
After years of the background screening industry commoditizing itself. There is now a clear separation of those companies that have truly dedicated their business to servicing with excellence!
August 1, 2011 - Are Your HR and Corporate Goals Aligned?
Written by Stephen Mihalik, Chief Revenue Officer
There is much discussion around the importance of optimizing our job efficiency. We all know that it’s always a lot easier said than done. Pursuit of such a lofty goal often pushes us outside of our comfort zone.
Why is that?
Usually, we are already working the best we can—assuming that is we knew a better way to produce efficiencies, we’d be doing so.
Lately, I have found myself drawn to this topic of strategy--specifically talent strategy. We all know that in order for a human resources department to be successful, a plan or strategy must be in place for them to succeed and this plan needs to be supported top down. Workforce and succession planning are necessary in human resources, but how well are we herding these strategies?
Are we aligning our HR goals with the company’s overall business goals? Are we truly being efficient?
Pairing company goals with HR goals is the first step in any strategic planning; and ultimately, better efficiency.
Here’s an easy example.
Business Goal: Going green; promoting corporate social responsibility
HR Goal: Reducing paper volumes associated with job applications
Strategy: Eliminate the paper in the recruiting, hiring and onboarding process.
Action: Utilize an online resume tool to parse and store all resume information for your company and install onsite kiosks to eliminate the paper associated with “walk-in applicants”
Applying this action to all HR processes such as applicant screening, I9 management and onboarding is an effective measure toward the organizations greater business goal.. It doesn’t have to be a complicated process or a stress-inducing task. The principles are simple. More companies are leveraging applicant tracking systems to streamline and develop their recruiting and hiring process; and thus, efficiency.
“Lean Methodology” to identify and eliminate unnecessary steps in the hiring process is a good and necessary adjunct to this process Without a method of continuous improvement, it’s very easy to go back to the old ways—especially when the organization is under pressure.
By creating a strategic HR plan, preparing for the future is easy. Align HR goals and Company goals. Implement a process improvement plan. Efficiencies happen—and they not only stay but get better.
July 16, 2011 - Can Your RFP Process Be Improved?
Written by Stephen Mihalik, Chief Revenue Officer
We can all agree that a core business objective is to purchase the best services at the best value. Often, that means a company will issue an RFP and conduct a side-by-side comparison of the responses received. The reasoning is always to be able to compare services on an “even playing ground”, however when evaluating services in a highly competitive (and commoditized) market, the playing ground remains very level and it becomes very difficult to “un-commoditize”. So how can you make the RFP process more useful in making such a decision? Consider the following:
• Can the questions being asked in the RFP be answered with a simple “Yes/No”?
• Do the questions really seek information that will be useful in your evaluation?
• Are your questions designed to reveal true differentiation in products and services?
One should ask questions that will give a bidder the opportunity to establish and define a benefit. As an example, services provided by the background screening industry are deeper than the “check” themselves. There is value in timeliness, accuracy and compliance - these are the business standards. But how does the service assist your recruiters and reduce recruiting costs? The answer may include a unique offering that a standard question set would not uncover. Consider expanding your list of questions to be more strategic which will allow for a unique offering to be uncovered.
Many processes allow for a public question and answer period where all bidders are offered the opportunity to present their questions and hear everyone’s responses. Instead, consider allowing each bidder a private conversation for them to ask questions. Not only with this give you an opportunity ensure each bidder meets your minimum service levels, but it also give you the opportunity to evaluate whether or not they are a good “fit” to the culture of your organization based on the thoughtfulness of the questions they are asking. Bidders will still have the opportunity to differentiate their services and the buying decision is made on a much more strategic level.
In summary, your objective remains the same but with a strategic approach to the RFP process each vendor will reveal their true professionalism, knowledge, and ability to service your needs.
February 16, 2011 - Drug Testing Integrity Act Is Reintroduced
Written by Stephen Mihalik, Chief Revenue Officer
A new bill is being reintroduced by Congressman Eliot Engel called the “Drug Testing Integrity Act of 2011”. While I am a supporter of this bill, it still surprises me whenever we need to write a law so people can act “with integrity”.
Substituting a specimen for a drug test or adulterating a sample has been big business for a long time. On the other side of the spectrum are the scientists who work for the laboratories and are constantly on the watch for the latest and greatest way to beat the drug test. This cat-and-mouse game will continue with or without this bill passing.
You have to ask yourself, will the manufacturers, suppliers and shippers who “knowingly”, know what the “intent” of what the product is used for, all of a sudden have a conscious? Will they just stop the assembly line? Will they file for unemployment? Will they go to work behind a desk (and take a drug test to get the job)? I am guessing not.
So what will happen if this bill passes The relabeling of the product is the logical result. It is that simple. The labels of on the product will change from “Free Yourself of THC” to “Cleanse Yourself from Harmful Toxins”…Who knows, maybe we will see these products showing up on the health food isle next to some granola bars.
I still support this bill, just as I support other laws (rules) that encourage integrity such as “Do not steal”, “Do not murder”.
If you really think about it, the people who this law will affect, already have a disregard for others who break the law and can be a potential public safety risk if they are working under the influence of the drugs. Will they really care if they “unknowingly” break a law that requires them to have integrity?
All of this said, the bill is a good one-- simple, hopefully easy to understand, and an intent toward a safer workplace. It is important that this bill have as many Co-sponsors as possible. If you are a supporter, contact Congressman Engel’s office to support this worthy legislation.
October 11, 2010 - When should you screen hourly employees?
Written by Stephen Mihalik, VP Enterprise Solutions
The decision to background check hourly employees is a question many companies ponder. We often question whether spending additional time and resources on an employee population with high turnover is necessary or prudent. When making hiring decisions hourly employees companies ask themselves a variety of questions:
- How soon do I need this person to start?
- How long will it take to get the results of a background check?
- How difficult is the process?
- Are the results FCRA compliant?
- What is the cost?
- Is it worth spending additional recruiting costs for an employee that will only stay on the payroll for a couple of months?
These are real questions that deserve real answers.
When was the last time you were at a store, a restaurant or called in to a customer service department and asked yourself, “Where did they get this person?” Is it possible others have said that about your company?
This too is a real question that deserves a real answer.
It is a long held adage that our employees are the face of our business—and thus our brand. If we are to observe the most successful companies from any list, we would find that the majority give credit to the people they hired for the success they experienced. An argument could be made that a business will survive a bad marketing campaign—but will most likely fail if it hires the wrong people.
Every company should protect their company brand and assets. Screening your hourly employees is a proven method for reducing risks, lowering costly turnover, and ultimately protecting your company brand and integrity.
This process begins in the recruiting stage. There are many services that can provide “Instant Background Checks” in fact, my personal email box gets numerous SPAM emails from such companies every week. I have even personally tried these services without any successful results. Although there may be resources that do provide accurate information, the question then becomes, “Where did the information come from?” In almost every case the background check was from a database and NOT from the direct source such as a court house or state repository. Now to complicate the matter, what do you do with the information you receive and is the data Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) compliant?
When considering background screening your hourly employees, you should consider the following.
- Are hourly employees the "face" of the company?
- How can our employees affect the company brand?
- Is it worth a few dollars (Typically under $8.00) to screen an hourly employee (Very small investment in caparison to the cost of recruiting and training)
- How can I receive an instant – FCRA Compliant result?
It seems as if there are more questions than answers and the process gets more complicated every time we turn the corner. No wonder why many companies are not screening their hourly – and often front line, customer-facing employees.
Understanding the need to be fiscally responsible and the need to hire quickly, Orange Tree has developed a simple yet effective way for companies to screen their candidates. Orange Tree’s First Look™ search requires only a few data fields to be competed to initiate the background check, this allows recruiters and hiring managers to easily request a background check without having to enter various applicant data that is not required. Within minutes, clients of the First LookTM service will know if an employee has a clear record on a National Criminal Record Search (NCRS); you will also have the comfort of knowing that if a concern does exist that a Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) compliant record research will be conducted.
Benefits:
- Minimal Data Entry
- Instant Clears
- FCRA Compliant Confirmations On All Concerns
- Staged Processing
- Peace of Mind
- Low Cost - High Impact
For more information, contact Orange Tree Employment Screening for a demonstration of First LookTM and a formal quote for our services.
The foregoing is not legal advice, either expressed or implied. We recommend you seek the advice of your corporate legal counsel for all aspects of employment law.
Written by Karen Bucks, Talent Strategy iCIMS
We all reiterate to ourselves the importance of optimizing our job efficiency; but it’s always a lot easier said than done. Such a vague demand on ourselves often falls outside of our work comfort zone. Why is that? Well, usually, we all work the best we can; for if we did not already, we would know exactly what needed to be done to increase efficiency. As such, the idea of improving efficiency can be a bit intimidating and stress-inducing. I think the solution is basic and simple: build a streamlined strategy.
Lately, I have found myself drawn to this topic of strategy, specifically talent strategy. What does it mean and why do we care?? We all know that in order for a human resources department to be successful in their goals, a plan or strategy must be in place for them to succeed. For example, workforce and succession planning are necessary in human resources, but how well are we heading these strategies? Are we aligning our HR goals with the company’s overall business goals? Are we truly being efficient? This is where we can improve.
A Bersin & Associates writer, points out in her blog post that employers may see a jump in employee turnover in the upcoming year due to the lack of effective talent strategy. Talent strategy is important especially as high performing employees have already begun to look elsewhere for positions. Talent Strategy is a necessitous factor in not only employee management and employee retention; but also in the recruitment process. iCIMS’ blogger, Kaitlin Walsh also speaks upon the importance of strategy in her blog post on mapping out your University Recruitment Campaign. Rather than rehash any of their points, I would just like to stress them further.
Taking company goals and comparing them with HR goals is the first step in any strategic analysis; and ultimately, better efficiency.
As simple as this idea is, let’s spell it out real quick. Here’s an easy example.
Business Goal: Going green; improving Corporate Social Responsibility
HR Goal: Reducing paper volumes associate with job applications to encourage company’s “going green” initiative and to simplify processes for HR staff
Strategy: Eliminate the paper application and resume
Action: Utilize an online resume tool to parse and store all resume information for your company and install onsite kiosks to eliminate the paper associated with “walk-in applicants”
It is as simple as applying this idea to all HR processes. It doesn’t have to be a complicated process or a stress-inducing task. The principles are simple. And with today’s technology; the implementation of a strategic plan can be even easier. More companies are leveraging applicant tracking systems or HRIS systems to streamline and develop their strategic plans; and thus, improve efficiency.
By creating a strategic HR plan, preparing for the future is easy. The world of recruiting will change as company goals change, as the talent pool fluctuates, as the type of talent differs, as employee drives alter; therefore, it is even more essential to develop your HR strategy now. Then, optimizing job efficiency won’t sound so scary.
August 24, 2010
Written by Heidi Seaton, Director of Implementation and Compliance
It’s been a relatively busy month for the background screening industry. Massachusetts passed legislation to overhaul their Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) system. The many employers that don’t even use CORI data may be surprised to learn they too have new obligations. The legislation is aimed (among other things) at increasing employment opportunities for reformed offenders. It takes effect in two phases. The first phase, which becomes effective on November 4th, 2010 prohibits an employer from asking questions about an applicant’s criminal history on the “initial written application form”, the second phase becomes effective February 6, 2012 and it is that phase that deals with access to and use of CORI records. The full text of the legislation is here:
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed revisions to a number of the Notices that are required under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The proposed revisions are to reflect new rules that the FTC has enacted under the Fair and Accurate Transactions Act (FACT Act) of 2003, and to make the notices more useful and easier to understand. The federal register notice with the summary of proposed revisions is here: http://www.ftc.gov/os/fedreg/2010/august/100816fcranotice.pdf.
The foregoing is not legal advice, either expressed or implied. We recommend you seek the advice of your corporate legal counsel for all aspects of employment law.
August 16, 2010
Written by Heidi Seaton, Director of Implementation and Compliance
There was a very interesting development in Illinois this week. Governor Quinn of Illinois signed the Employee Credit Privacy Act that prohibits employers from using credit information (about applicants and employers) in the hiring decision. The act goes into effect January 1, of 2011, so employers do have a bit of time to review the act and to determine if any of the exceptions allowed in the act might apply to positions where they are currently using credit in the employment decision.
The full text of the act can be found here: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?name=096-1426&GA=96&SessionId=76&DocTypeId=HB&DocNum=4658&GAID=10&Session
Illinois is one of many states that have proposed legislations and now one of a few states that have enacted legislation to limit an employer’s ability to access credit information regarding applicants and current employers. By my count, there are now twenty states that have proposed legislation on this topic this year, and four states that have actually enacted legislations (Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and now Illinois). Clearly, there is perception that consumer’s credit records have suffered as a result of recent economic difficulties, and that use of credit in the hiring decision is unfairly excluding otherwise qualified applicants.
The foregoing is not legal advice, either expressed or implied. We recommend you seek the advice of your corporate legal counsel for all aspects of employment law.
August 11, 2010
Written by Stephen Mihalik, VP Enterprise Solutions
The operating system (or foundation) of a background company's data should not be focused on the report that is delivered to the customer. The foundation is the INFORMATION that is found in the report. If the information (data) is properly stored and organized in a way that can be easily delivered (through a report or applicant tracking system) then we can deliver exactly what employers needs today….fast, accurate, time saving and less expensive.
Have you ever built an addition on your home? If so, the first question you need answered “Do you have a good foundation?”. Does your background screening program have the foundation to withstand the changes it will experience? Has your screening program felt the strain of change?
“Fast and accurate” are not the only needs a customer has. With the down-turn in the economy, we've seen changes companies need to do more work with fewer employees and less money. Is this possible? Can any background screening company effectively offer services that are fast, accurate, cheaper and save time? The answer is “Not without the proper foundation”.
What will the needs of the client be next year, or the year after that? We assume it will change. What we know is that a system built with the proper storage and use of your data is preparing for the needs of tomorrow.
How do you know if your current provider has the data-foundation for growth? Here are a few helpful tips:
1. When was the back-office platform developed?
When evaluating your current vendor or looking to go to RFP, simply ask the vendor when their operating platform was developed. Generally speaking, data-based platforms were first developed in 2003. Prior to this, most screening companies concentrated on developing and sending a “report”. Receiving a “report” is like receiving a dictionary…..when all we really want is the “definition”! When data is accessed efficiently, the end user can quickly drill-down to useful information.
2. How easy is it to integrate with an Applicant Tracking System?
Applicant Tracking Systems are giving HR Professionals the convenience needed to hire faster and better. It is important to remember that background screening and drug testing are part of the hiring process. When working with your applicant tracking vendor, ask them who they are integrated with and their experience with the screening company. Secondly, ask the screening company, “How long will it take and how much will it cost?”. If the background screening company takes longer that 2-3 weeks and charges for their integration services you may want to question if they have the operating platform to support your growing needs.
3. Adjudication of results and how the “Hire / No Hire” decision is made:
It can be difficult to manage a consistent hiring process when a company is in multiple states and has many different job descriptions. Complicating the process the level of offence found on a background screen and when it occurred. The standard “Red, Yellow, Green” no longer works for all job descriptions, locations and time frames. Ensure your vendor can be customize your “Hire / No-Hire” decisions by state, job description, when the concern occurred and most importantly – apply the company policy consistently.
Orange Tree Employment Screening is revolutionizing the background screening industry with unique trademarked solutions as the foundation to deliver meaningful data and not just a report. For more information please call 800-886-4777 or complete the contact us page