The Importance of Background Checks For Small Businesses

Apart from a peace of mind, background screenings for your small business keep everyone protected.

Background screenings began with hunting out falsified information and omitted data to improve workplace safety and prevent unqualified people from filling positions. While many companies have spent time researching this concern, numbers ranging from 25% to upwards of 45% of bad hires provided false information about their qualifications. 

Don’t let a bad hire slip through the cracks of your small business. At NationSearch, we provide the leading small business background checks to keep you and your customers protected. Join us in today’s post as we highlight the importance of background checks for your business.

It is often thought that background screenings are reserved for large companies or businesses who deal with sensitive data such as insurance or the medical field — don’t set your small business up for potential personnel issues because of this! 

The truth of the matter is, small businesses need to implement background screenings in the workplace just as much as their larger counterparts. In the end, bad hires cost small businesses a lot of money — money most cannot afford to lose. Not only this, but an unqualified employee can put your entire business at risk when they misrepresent their education, skills, experience, or work history. 

This also leaves room for legal cases, should they happen. If another employee or customer is hurt, you could face a negligent hiring claim.

The need for background checks is straightforward — they protect your business. So why aren’t more small businesses using them? When you pour your lifeblood into your business and your livelihood is often at stake, is this an investment you really want to skip?

Many times small businesses forego background screenings because of their costs, but even more so, the perceived intricacies of them. It can be difficult wading through your choices and choosing background screenings that make sense for what you do. 

There are also the legal implications that can shy small business owners away — it can be hard to keep up with the latest regulations regarding background screenings, and, after all, not being privy to the laws doesn’t get your business off the hook if there are errors. 

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is the governing body when it comes to background screenings and the rules and regulations surrounding them, so this is a great resource to continually use as you navigate background screenings. 

Use the convenience and recognition of a background screening service!

Operating a small business requires you to wear many hats and perform many different roles, so why not delegate some of the tasks a hiring manager would do, and let a background screening company help you out? 

One of the greatest benefits of using this kind of service is that it will save you time and money because you’ll be hiring the right people! Many screening companies have a variety of screening packages that you can choose from so it’s not one substantial fee you have to pay, and, you’ll likely be able to customize your package depending on your small business’s needs.  

Now that there’s an understanding of why background screenings are important and how screening services can help your business out, let’s explore the tangible ways in which background screenings directly impact your business.     

5 Advantages of Using Background Screenings in Your Small Business

How a background screening service such as NationSearch aid your small business? Find out below!

Reclaimed Time

A downside to doing background checks on your own is the lapse in time when it comes to getting your results. If you have an open position, it’s imperative that it gets filled, and you can’t do this when you’re waiting around for background check results. Not only does the position stay vacant, but it can also make your small business look bad to potential employees so they may continue looking elsewhere — you miss out on a potentially great employee because you’re waiting around for results!

Background screening services can help you reclaim time with their streamlined and on-demand results. The turnaround times are greatly reduced, so you can hire the right person in a timely manner. 

Improved Costs

Doing background screenings as a small business can be quite labor-intensive — you may have to hire a specific person to carry out these tasks. If you’re not in the financial position to do this or you’re looking at reducing operating costs, outsourcing this part of your business is something to consider. 

It’s easy to implement a background screening service — they can get you up and running in no time! Many of these companies have user-friendly portals where you can administer the screenings to potential hires, and check the portal for results. It’s an effortless service that provides you an avenue to allocate your revenue elsewhere. 

Legal Compliance

As we stated earlier, many small businesses avoid background screenings because they don’t want to have to maneuver all the rules and regulations that come with them. This is exactly the reason you need a screening service company! 

A background screening company stays compliant with the FCRA, so you don’t have to! When you partner with a screening company they can not only guide you in the regulations, but they can also alert you when practices or laws change.

Employee Retention

It costs a lot of money to a small business when the retention rate is low — you’re likely hiring and firing on a vicious cycle because you’re not finding the right people. Attracting and retaining employees is one of the greatest challenges small business owners face, but a background screening service can help. 

Not only can you screen for a criminal history or drugs, but you can collaborate with them and include additional checks such as education and certification verification, and even reference checks. 

These additional checks narrow down your applicants and can better identify undesirable behavior and traits, making it easier to identify and retain qualified people. 

Expansion

As your business grows and a background screening service is in place, you can take an overtaxed human resource department or hiring manager and offer them some reprieve. 

If you’re finding you’re needing to hire people on a consistent basis, increasing your workforce, a background screening service can expand as you expand. Where an in-house hiring process would most likely involve hiring more people to hire more people, a background screening service makes it easy to screen and hire the influx of new positions. 

Background screening services are vital to small businesses — don’t forfeit money and great employees as a result of not using background checks. Instead, protect your small business and reclaim time and money, meet legal compliance, retain employees, and expand your business with the help of a background screening company!

At NationSearch, we help small businesses flourish by helping them hire the right people! We provide a variety of screening services that can help vet potential candidates and identify any red flags. We make the process easy so you can spend time concentrating on what you do best!

For more information on all of our screening services for small businesses, connect with us today!