Jacqueline McClure, Genesis Background Screening Services
Did you know there are 68 million Americans (27% of the U.S. workforce) working as freelancers? This group consists of independent contractors, moonlighters, diversified workers, temporary workers and freelance business owners. In case you haven’t noticed, there are more and more people working in a less-than-traditional way and this pattern shows every indication of increasing.
What does this mean for your company? A whole host of pros and cons! The Gig Economy has made it possible for your company to bring in talent for specific projects without committing to permanent hires and benefit costs. With the technology that is available now, freelancers can work from anywhere, freeing up your office space and minimizing your equipment costs.
Staying in your budget can be a lot easier and predictable when you can gear up when you need to and scale back when the project is over.
So, what’s the down side? Well, having a revolving door of temporary workers coming through your company presents some risk. What can you do to prevent bringing someone in with a criminal background or less-than-qualified credentials? Do you assume since they are not employees, you don’t need to invest in background screening? Stop and think about this for a minute…
- Does the worker represent your brand?
- Do they have access to sensitive information?
- Do they work with your clients or employees?
- Do they need any special certifications or licensing?
If they do, background screening should be part of your “Best Practices” policy. And to stay in compliance with the FCRA Regulations, it makes sense to treat your contingent workers the same as you would for employees that are in similar roles in your company. And, as always, be consistent!
Partnering with a knowledgeable professional CRA is the best way to be sure your reports are interpreted correctly and that you are compliant with current regulations. Not only can the right partner serve your background screening needs, they can help you implement Best Practices for your Human Resource department – all at an affordable cost. For more information, please contact Genesis Background Screening Services at 866-944-0041 ext 101, email getstarted@gbsspro.com or visit www.genesisbackgroundscreening.com
Genesis Background Screening is not a law firm and provides our blogs for informational purposes only. These blogs should not be considered as a substitute for experienced legal advice. Any laws or regulations mentioned in our blogs need to be researched by your company and any questions you have need to be answered by your legal counsel to be sure your organization is within the law and compliant with regulations.
