尽管小型企业越来越多地采用就业背景调查，但许多雇主仍可能面临背景调查计划不完善的风险。根据观火 小型企业聚焦，95% 的调查受访者目前需要背景调查或计划开始进行背景调查。

许多小型企业认识到背景调查的必要性和价值，但可能无法实现基于其当前筛选计划的安全工作场所、高质量招聘和招聘合规性目标。

此外，关于医用大麻使用、工人就业资格和公平信用报告的州和联邦立法的频繁变化进一步推动了对更全面的就业筛选解决方案的需求，即使是小型企业也是如此。

如果没有有效的背景调查政策和解决方案，雇主可能会做出疏忽的招聘决定或在不知不觉中违反规定并招致高额罚款。

有效背景调查计划的好处 拥有有效就业背景调查计划的小企业可能会受益于获得更高素质的员工、确保更安全的工作环境以及减少潜在的合规和法律风险。

当问到小企业雇主为什么要进行背景调查时，前四名的回答包括提高招聘质量、遵守法规、防范疏忽招聘风险和保护雇主声誉。

为了帮助实现这些招聘目标，小企业使用四种主要的就业背景调查。88% 使用犯罪背景调查，59% 使用身份检查，47% 搜索机动车记录，另外 46% 验证工作历史。

虽然这四项基本背景调查可能有助于确保安全的工作场所并降低法律风险，但小企业因依赖不完整的背景调查程序而面临一些漏洞。

以下是小型企业聚焦报告揭示的三个背景调查差距。了解实施这些基本最佳实践以弥补差距如何改进小型企业的背景调查计划。

差距#1：过度依赖招聘前的犯罪背景
调查 小型企业聚焦显示，许多雇主只在招聘前进行犯罪背景调查。这种有限的背景调查方法可能会淘汰某些申请人，但也会使雇主面临潜在的严重风险。

如果雇主只进行聘用前犯罪背景调查，则雇主可能不会注意到任何未来的违法行为。一些雇主只会检查联邦数据库中的犯罪记录，而这些信息通常不定期更新且不完整。

缩小这一差距的最佳实践：
小型企业雇主应考虑检查县、州和联邦数据库，了解几年前的刑事犯罪情况。为了获得更全面的结果，雇主可以将犯罪记录背景调查与身份、机动车、性犯罪者和其他背景调查结合起来。

为提高刑事调查的效率，雇主应定期对在职员工进行背景调查，并对临时工或临时工实施聘用前和定期筛选。

差距#2：最少使用毒品、酒精和健康检查
根据小型企业聚焦报告，只有一半的小企业雇主需要进行毒品、酒精和健康检查。2012 年，只有 19% 的小企业受访者表示他们计划制定药物、酒精和健康检测政策，另有 13% 计划实施此类筛查计划。

医用大麻的使用已在十几个州合法化，并且正在其他几个州立法机构进行辩论。然而，这种物质仍然是联邦政府禁止的一种药物。

缩小这一差距的最佳实践：
组织可以通过起草无毒工作场所政策并实施药物和酒精测试计划，帮助保护自己免受医用大麻法规的灰色地带和工作场所吸毒风险的影响。与测试计划相结合的政策可以减少旷工、提高安全性和生产力，并有助于降低法律和合规风险。

差距#3：未准备好满足更严格的 I-9 表格要求
所有小型企业受访者中有四分之一表示，他们要么找到了不符合工作资格的潜在员工，要么雇主知道有人发现该员工无权工作。然而，只有 28% 的雇主表示他们使用 E-Verify 来验证工作授权，只有 14% 的雇主计划在未来使用它。这意味着超过一半的小企业雇主没有尽其所能保持就业资格合规性。

州和联邦立法者继续引入强制使用电子验证的立法。少数几个州，例如亚利桑那州，已经通过了法律，要求每位新员工都必须使用 E-Verify 进行筛查。

如果立法在其州或联邦一级通过，不自愿采用电子验证并将其集成到其现有 I-9 解决方案中的雇主将难以满足这一要求。未能满足工人资格规定可能会导致美国移民和海关执法局的严厉处罚。

缩小这一差距的最佳实践：
自动背景调查解决方案提供商可以将电子验证检查集成到其 I-9 解决方案中。与自动化解决方案提供商合作的小型企业将能够快速且经济高效地更改为 E-Verify，并最好地降低其合规性和歧视风险。

通过针对小型企业背景调查中的这三个常见差距审查您当前的政策，您将走上更有效、更合规的计划，这将有助于确保更安全的工作场所、更好的招聘质量和更低的风险。

While employment background checks are increasingly being used by small businesses, many employers may still be at risk from inadequate background check programs. According to Firewatch Small Business Focus, 95 percent of survey respondents currently require a background check or plan to start one.

Many small businesses recognize the need and value of background checks, but may not be able to meet the goals of a safe workplace, high-quality recruiting, and recruitment compliance based on their current screening programs.

In addition, frequent changes in state and federal legislation regarding medical marijuana use, worker employment eligibility, and fair credit reporting further drive the need for more comprehensive employment screening solutions, even for small businesses.

Without effective background check policies and solutions, employers can make careless hiring decisions or unknowingly violate rules and incur hefty fines.

Benefits of effective background check programs Small businesses with effective employment background check programs may benefit from obtaining higher-quality employees, ensuring a safer work environment, and reducing potential compliance and legal risks.

When asked why small-business employers conduct background checks, the top four responses included improving the quality of hiring, complying with regulations, preventing the risk of negligent hiring and protecting an employer's reputation.

To help meet these hiring goals, small businesses use four main types of employment background checks. 88% use criminal background checks, 59% use id checks, 47% search motor vehicle records, and another 46% verify work history.

While these four basic background checks may help ensure a safe workplace and reduce legal risk, small businesses face some vulnerabilities by relying on an incomplete background check process.

Here are three background check gaps revealed by the Small Business Focus report. Learn how implementing these basic best practices to close the gap can improve small business background check programs.

Gap #1: Over-reliance on pre-hiring criminal background

The small Business Focus survey shows that many employers only conduct criminal background checks before hiring. This limited approach to background checks may weed out some applicants, but it also exposes employers to potentially serious risks.

If an employer only conducts pre-employment criminal background checks, the employer may not notice any future violations. Some employers check only criminal records in federal databases, and that information is often not updated regularly and incomplete.

Best practices for closing this gap:

Small-business employers should consider checking county, state and federal databases for criminal offenses dating back several years. For more comprehensive results, employers can combine criminal record background checks with identity, motor vehicle, sex offender and other background checks.

To improve the efficiency of criminal investigations, employers should conduct regular background checks on current employees and conduct pre-employment and periodic screening of temporary or temporary workers.

Gap #2: Minimum use of drugs, alcohol and health screening

According to the Small Business Focus report, only half of small business employers require drug, alcohol and health screening. In 2012, only 19% of small business respondents said they planned to have a drug, alcohol and health testing policy, and another 13% planned to implement such screening programs.

Medical marijuana use has been legalized in more than a dozen states and is being debated in several others. However, the substance remains a federally banned drug.

Best practices for closing this gap:

Organizations can help protect themselves from the gray areas of medical marijuana regulations and the risks of drug use in the workplace by drafting non-toxic workplace policies and implementing drug and alcohol testing programs. Policies combined with testing programs can reduce absenteeism, improve safety and productivity, and help reduce legal and compliance risks.

Gap #3: Not ready to meet more stringent i-9 form requirements

A quarter of all small business respondents said they had either found a potential employee who was ineligible for the job, or the employer knew someone had found out that the employee was not entitled to work. However, only 28 percent of employers say they use e-Verify to Verify work authorization, and only 14 percent plan to use it in the future. This means that more than half of small business employers are not doing all they can to maintain employment eligibility compliance.

State and federal lawmakers continue to introduce legislation mandating the use of electronic verification. A few states, such as Arizona, have passed laws requiring every new employee to use e-Verify for screening.

If legislation passes at their state or federal level, employers who do not voluntarily adopt electronic verification and integrate it into their existing I-9 solutions will have difficulty meeting this requirement. Failure to meet worker eligibility requirements can result in severe penalties from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Best practices for closing this gap:

Automated background check solution providers can integrate electronic verification checks into their I-9 solutions. Small businesses that work with an automation solution provider will be able to quickly and cost-effectively change to E-Verify and best reduce their compliance and risk of discrimination.

By reviewing your current policies for these three common gaps in small business background checks, you'll be on a path to a more effective and compliant program that will help ensure a safer workplace, better hiring quality, and lower risk.