美国商务部最近与四名员工分道扬镳，因为他们的安全审查背景调查有问题。根据 《华盛顿邮报》的报道，这些员工的级别与商务部长的高级顾问一样高。
近几个月来，联邦政府因其倾向于在某些员工的背景调查通过之前给予他们高度安全的许可而面临争议。由于安全审查过程 工作密集且效率低下，政府需要数月才能完成背景调查。为了让新任命的人员及时上岗，政府已经采取了“临时安全许可”的措施。换句话说，员工被允许开始工作——在某些情况下，可以访问与国家安全事务有关的信息和文件——无需完成背景调查。
在大多数情况下，雇主不会冒险雇用新员工或让他们在没有档案背景调查的情况下开始工作。通过要求新员工在完成招聘或设定开始日期之前通过背景调查，雇主可以帮助避免 招聘疏忽的索赔。
最近，政府因为基本上是先任命新人，后提出问题而受到抨击。报道最多的例子是贾里德库什纳，他是特朗普总统（以及总统的女婿）的高级顾问。直到最近，库什纳才获得了绝密安全许可，尽管他还没有通过背景调查。他的安全许可被降级，但只是在几个月的强烈抗议之后。
报道指出，库什纳并不是政府中唯一一个进行临时安全检查的人。其中一位是名为 SelectUSA 的项目的执行董事 Fred Volcansek。去年，沃尔坎塞克与威尔伯罗斯密切合作，担任商务部长的高级顾问。沃尔坎塞克说，过去 13 个月，他的安全许可调查一直悬而未决。就在本周，商务部才让他知道他的背景调查存在问题。
目前尚不清楚是哪个红旗导致了沃兰塞克的辞职。其他三名商务部员工也是如此，他们在背景调查问题曝光后离开了该部门。这些人——贾斯汀·阿莱特 (Justin Arlett)，经济发展署署长的顾问；美国商务部少数族裔商业发展机构代理负责人克里斯·加西亚（Chris Garcia）；国际贸易管理局的高级顾问 Edgar Mkrtchian 在被告知他们被拒绝获得永久安全许可后辞职。
如果在新员工开始工作之前没有完成背景调查过程，雇主会面临重大风险。除了疏忽招聘，还有 员工保留和整体效率问题。商务部现在需要为已被占用数月的工作填补四个职位并培训替代人员。该过程可能成本高昂且效率低下，而且还会 对安全许可过程造成又一次公关打击。
在 GOOHO.CN，我们通过快速背景调查帮助雇主避免此类问题 。我们的一些检查会 立即处理，而另一些则只 需要几天时间。这种速度使雇主可以做出明智的招聘电话并让新员工担任空缺职位，而无需他们承担临时职责或安全许可方面的任何风险。
The Washington Post, the employees had ranks as high as senior advisor to the Secretary of Commerce.
The federal government has faced controversy in recent months over its tendency to give some employees high-security clearances before their background checks clear. Because the security clearance process is so work-intensive and inefficient, it takes months for the government to complete background checks. To get new appointees into their jobs on a timely basis, the government has taken to issuing “interim security clearances.” In other words, employees have been permitted to start work—and in some cases, access information and documents pertaining to matters of national security—with no completed background checks on file.
In most cases, employers do not risk hiring new employees or letting them start their jobs without background checks on file. By requiring new employees to pass background checks before finalizing their hiring or setting a start date, employers can help avoid claims of negligence in hiring.
Recently, the government has been under fire for essentially appointing new people first and asking questions later. The most well-reported example is Jared Kushner, a senior advisor to President Trump (as well as the President’s son-in-law). Until very recently, Kushner had a top-secret security clearance even though he had not cleared a background check. His security clearance was downgraded but only after months of outcry.
Kushner was not the only person in government working on an interim security clearance, reports note. One was Fred Volcansek, the executive director of a program called SelectUSA. Last year, Volcansek worked closely with Wilbur Ross as the Secretary of Commerce’s senior advisor. Volcansek said his security clearance investigation had been pending for the past 13 months. Only this week did the Department of Commerce let him know there was an issue with his background check.
It remains unknown which red flag led to Volansek’s resignation. The same is true for the other three Commerce Department employees who left the department after problems with their background checks came to light. Those individuals—Justin Arlett, an advisor for the Director of the Economic Development Agency; Chris Garcia, acting head of the Commerce Department’s minority business development agency; and Edgar Mkrtchian, a senior advisor for the International Trade Administration—resigned from their posts after being informed that they had been denied permanent security clearances.
Employers run a major risk by not finishing the background check process before new hires start their jobs. In addition to negligent hiring, there are also matters of employee retention and overall efficiency. The Department of Commerce will now need to fill four positions—and train replacements—for jobs that had been occupied for months. That process promises to be costly and inefficient, as well as yet another PR blow against the security clearance process.
At backgroundchecks.com, we help employers avoid issues like these with fast background checks. Some of our checks process instantly, while others take no more than a few days. The speed makes it possible for employers to make smart hiring calls and get new employees into vacant positions without requiring them to take any risks with interim responsibilities or security clearances.
