Simply a Better Employment Screening Experience

Better by every measure.

At GHRR, we appreciate and value your business – which is why we’re embracing the aspirational theme of being “better by every measure.” Whether you have 100 employees or 100,000, we understand the complexities caused by changes in the workforce, dynamic legal and compliance issues, and the inflationary cost pressures impacting your business. We hope you find value in our newsletter, and as always, feel free to contact us directly should you need assistance. Helping clients build and manage effective screening programs is what we do best.

Better Technology

GHRR Launches Four New ATS Integrations

Oracle, Avionte, Ceridian, and JobDiva

If you're considering integrating your background screening program with your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) – we have you covered.  We have developed integration expertise that can't be matched with more than 40 integrations with top ATS/HCM platforms. 

Recent additions to our list include Oracle, Avionte, Ceridian, and JobDiva. 

Configuring our best-in-class screening technology to integrate with industry-leading HCM partners seamlessly provides you with yet another tool to increase productivity and accelerate screening turn-around times. 

So, if you're considering an ATS/HCM partner, we'll be glad to help you through the process.  For more information about ATS/HCM integrations and a list of our partners, click here, and we’ll be sure to follow-up.

Client Resource Center

Better Solutions

Investments in Innovation

Over the past several months, we’ve been investing in building a talented “Solutions” team to focus on product innovation, technology integrations, and client-specific issues that may be impacting your screening program.  It’s all about driving efficiencies and helping clients with smart compliant-based solutions. 

Our investment is beginning to pay off – which should benefit all clients.  “We are eager to deliver on our product and solution initiatives leveraging GHRR’s technology expertise,” says Kristen Whitt, GHRR’s Chief Solutions Officer.  Kristen joined GHRR with nearly 20 years of experience working with some of the largest players in our industry.  Kristen and the team recently announced two new programs currently in beta testing (keep an eye out for a full product launch in late Q4).

  • Contractor Program is designed for companies that rely heavily on temporary or contract workers; this solution will provide an efficient process for managing this special workforce without sacrificing safety and risk standards. 
  • I9/E-Verify program will transform a labor-intensive manual process into a compliant, web-based verification system that’s so easy to use that you won’t believe it.  

Click here if you’d like to receive additional updates as we launch our new I9/E-Verify service and/or Contractor Program.   

Better Solutions400

Better Intelligence

From FAQs to deep product and compliance information, our new Client Resource Center can be a helpful resource and training tool – all accessible with a simple click

Managing an effective background screening program doesn’t have to be complicated.  Our resource library can help train new HR employees, answer complex questions on state reporting laws, learn about drug testing, or review state-specific compliance guidelines and sample consent forms.   

When you access the library, you’ll receive instant access to a wide range of helpful resources, including some of our favorites:

  • GHRR’s Educational Guide to Background Screening
  • State Reporting Laws and Consumer Disclosures
  • Adverse Action Process and sample notices/disclosures

We recommend checking the Resource Library often, as we regularly update our materials to help keep our clients connected and current on changes in our industry. Click here to visit our Client Resource Center.

Hybrid Workforce

Better Regulatory Guidance

Nearly 2 years ago, GHRR introduced a quarterly compliance and operational trends webinar. The goal of these pre-planned events is to ensure our customers have timely access to information to help manage your screening policies, workflows and/or processes driven by the following:

  • Regulatory updates, changes or in-depth explanations around trending state-specific changes or complex policies and/or
  • A read-out of newly generated GHRR research designed to glean forward-looking insights that will keep you informed of operational trends and candidate perspectives

Below you’ll find a summary of our most recent Q2 webinar focused on companies that have adopted a hybrid workforce (Remote or Contract) and the screening impacts that should be considered to support this accelerating workforce model. Our Q3 webinar has been scheduled for Thursday, November 3rd – registration invitations will begin going out 3 weeks prior to this scheduled event.

A flexible workplace allows employers to draw from a bigger pool, ranging from remote and hybrid workers to contractors. Even though a flexible workplace has multiple benefits, employers have potential pitfalls. Most companies have not adapted their employment screening programs when hiring remote or hybrid workers, creating problems.

Brandon Phillips, Founder and Chief Resource Officer at Global HR Research, and Todd Higey, the company's General Counsel, discussed this in our recent webinar, "How Your Employment Screening Program Needs to Support a Hybrid Workforce."

The 2019 Hiring Model vs. 2022

On the surface, your hiring process might look the same as it always has, but the devil is always in the details. So, we've done some research to identify changes happening for employers across the county.

Some Fast Facts, According to our Findings

  • According to the US Census Bureau, before the COVID-19 pandemic, only 6% of employees worked primarily from home rather than in an employer's office. Close to 75% of employees had never worked from home
  • Now, an estimated 45% of full-time employees have the flexibility to work remotely
  • Over 50% believe remote hiring will continue to increase
  • 32% of businesses are replacing full-time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure
  • Nearly 60% of respondents to a recent GHRR/HRO Today survey stated that there is no difference in the way they screen for an on-site position vs. a remote one.

The Challenge in Employing a Hybrid Workforce

When adapting to a hybrid workforce, employers may not be thinking about state employment laws that may impose new obligations.

For example, employers who have traditionally only operated in states that are not marijuana-friendly have probably spent little time considering other state laws that may protect employees that use marijuana for medical or recreational purposes. However, an Alabama employer with a traditional zero-tolerance policy for marijuana use may have to re-think its approach if it hires a remote worker from Montana, which explicitly protects employees' use of marijuana off the clock and away from the employer's premises. Not only that, but it may need to reconsider its entire drug testing program. The majority of US states now have some unique nuance to their policies – either medical or recreational use. Hence, this places a significant burden on employers to have to consider the state in which they’re headquartered along with the state in which they are hiring a remote employee.

The Hybrid Workforce's Effects on Employee Background Screening

In addition to drug-testing policies, employers should consider whether their criminal history background screening program designed initially for local workers will meet the needs of a remote or hybrid workforce. Some of the questions employers may want to ask themselves include:

  • Will they have the same employment disqualifications for local and remote workers?
  • Are some disqualifications for local workers even relevant for remote workers?
  • Are there new disqualifications they should consider that wouldn't have been needed for a purely local workforce?

WFH: An acronym short for "work from home."

Let's consider a few specific hypotheticals –

1. The employer disqualifies local workers convicted of violent crimes. Would this be a relevant disqualification for remote workers?

2. What if the employer disqualifies local workers who have been convicted of crimes involving theft? Should this likewise disqualify remote workers?

When asking these questions, it is essential to remember why it matters whether the current disqualifications are "relevant "to remote employees. This is because the EEOC and state lawmakers have continuously stressed the importance of "job relatedness "– meaning disqualifications based on criminal background screening should be related to the job in question.

Looking at the two scenarios mentioned above, would you show a substantial relationship between either of those crimes and a job for an employee working from home? Employers will want to review EEOC guidelines and state and municipal fair chance hiring laws before making that determination.

The Takeaways

1. Be mindful of the states of residence for remote employees.

2. Review your disqualification criteria.

3. Revisit your drug-testing program.

After working with your legal counsel, employers are encouraged to contact GHRR to discuss how we can help you modify their background screening program to fit the modern workforce.

Upcoming events

Q3 Compliance Webinar, Thursday November 3

Upcoming Events

Facts and Stats

Did You Know 

  • So far this year, GHRR has helped clients screen 899,703 candidates with an average turn time of 3.4 days.
  • Due to the strong snapback from COVID, our average client has increased hiring by more than 15% so far in 2022 – with healthcare leading all verticals by growing more than 34%. No wonder the labor pool is tight!
  • Marijuana is legal for adults in 19 states and Washington, DC. Medical marijuana is legal in 38 states and DC. (Source Business Insider, May 27, 2022 )
  • According to the FBI 2022 mid-year report, violent crime in 29 cities (property, aggravated assaults, larceny, robberies) increased by 4%. In addition, some cities have seen a rise in homicides as dramatic as 39%.
  • Post pandemic shutdown, 45% of FTEs have the flexibility to work remotely (Gallup)
  • Research shows that while remote work opportunities are highly desired, 44 percent of companies worldwide don’t allow remote work. (LinkedIn, March 2022)

Did You Know