Our team was excited to connect with fellow Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs), vendors and other industry experts at the PBSA Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. We’re sharing our biggest takeaways from this important event.

A Little About Us

Backgrounds Online is a PBSA-accredited CRA. As such, we are beholden to various federal, state and local laws.

To become and remain accredited, we must go through periodic audits and demonstrate that we follow reasonable procedures to comply with laws such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Each member of our team is also required to earn their FCRA certification. As a service-first company who acts as your partner during the hiring process, this is something we take seriously.

Collaborative Compliance

During the PBSA conference, we were reminded that the onus of compliance is not exclusively on us; employers must adhere to various laws and regulations. There are several things end users of background checks (in other words, you) must do:

• Follow federal laws that require employers to obtain signed Disclosure and Authorization forms before running a background check.

  We help by confirming you have those documents or, better yet, asking the people you screen to electronically sign them when your applicants submit their own information to us directly.

• Comply with local Second Chance laws that may be in effect where you operate.

  We help by offering a variety of educational resources like this Newsletter, our blog and our State Laws section.

• Create and maintain written screening policies which include your compliance-related practices. If possible, we recommend consulting with legal counsel to ensure your documentation is always complete and up to date.

  We can’t assist with this, but our educational resources can help you get started – and we’re always happy to share reminders that these documents should be reviewed at least annually to ensure they include new and upcoming laws.

• Follow the federally mandated adverse action process.

  We help by providing convenient forms you can download and customize as needed, as well as articles that cover how this process must work.

Why Run Comprehensive Background Checks?

Running background reports demonstrates that your business is conducting due diligence to find top talent and protect your workforce, brand and customers. These reports greatly reduce the risk of negligent hiring claims and help hiring managers identify candidates who are qualified, eligible and do not pose an undue risk. Doing so should be a top priority for every organization.

Comprehensive background checks include a suite of criminal searches and other components that help you meet those goals. Our website makes it easy to fully customize screening packages that comply with relevant laws and meet industry regulations.

An Ongoing Commitment to You

The team at Backgrounds Online is committed to helping you develop a fair, transparent screening process. We set ourselves apart by being responsive and building tools that augment your compliance efforts. Additionally, we provide first-class customer service with a knowledgeable, highly trained team of professionals who are passionate about what we do.

We also take additional steps to bolster our compliance efforts such as undergoing SOC 2 audits, working with the top legal minds in our industry and attending important events like PBSA conferences. Every employer is responsible for complying with various employment laws. That’s one of many reasons why it’s so critical to work with an accredited CRA, like Backgrounds Online. Together, we will expertly navigate the landscape of screening and hiring strong team members.