Why You Really Do Need to Screen Your Temporary Summer Staff

In case the sunshine hasn't tipped you off, summer is coming and hiring for summer vacation coverage is already well under way. If you need to hire staff for the summer season, whether it’s for banquet servers, administrative support, or skilled workers, it’s important to bring on staff that are not only effective, but also reliable.

Why Bother Screening Temporary Staff?

Temporary staff usually have access to your place of business, and they interact with your core workforce and oftentimes clients. It’s expected that they are trained on your business systems, and may even have access to your company’s intellectual property.

Given the critical access that temporary staff are given during what can be a short time frame, it’s important that temporary employees are screened in the same way as you would your permanenttistaff.

It’s no secret that background screening is an effective tool for mitigating risks, such as theft or violence in the workplace. According to the 26th Annual Retail Theft Survey released by Jack L. Hayes International, 78,085 dishonest employees were apprehended in 2013, up 6.5% percent from 2012.

Additionally, one in every 39.5 employees was apprehended for theft from their employer in 2013, and on a per-case average, dishonest employees steal 5.4 times the amount stolen by shoplifters ($706.21 vs $130.89). Screening is one highly effective way to protect your company from this trend.

What Does the Law Say?

Remember that the same screening laws that protect regular applicants also apply to temporary staff. That means you have to obtain a signed authorization and disclosure from the applicant before conducting a background check, and if you reject an applicant due to the results of the background check, you must provide pre-adverse and adverse notices to the job-seeker.

Beware of ban-the box laws. Make sure you review your temporary and seasonal job applications to see if there is a check-box asking about criminal history. If your policy is to inquire about criminal history during the application process, make sure that you are not in a state or city where this practice is banned.

It is also important to remember that laws which cover harassment, discrimination, and workplace health and safety apply just as much to temporary employees. So do tax withholding laws. Consider issues like minimum wage, overtime pay, record-keeping and child labor, which are all protected under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The Do’s and Don’ts

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts published by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) for conducting effective background checks during the heavy holiday hiring period:

• Don’t try the do-it-yourself approach to background screening. Conducting a Google search or quickly checking social media is not adequate or appropriate for vetting potential employees and could leave you open to legal issues.
• Do hire a professional background screener. Partnering with a professional will ensure you obtain the most comprehensive and accurate data to help make informed hiring decisions.
• Do treat all employees the same during the background screening process. Whether full-time, part-time or seasonal, they are still your employees and will most likely be interacting with your customers every day. The classification of their employment should not change the need for conducting a background screen.
• Do make sure you’re aware of your responsibilities as an employer under the law. Background checks are subject to state and federal laws intended to protect those being screened, so obtain an understanding of what you are required to do by law to avoid penalties.
• Don’t fail to communicate with the job applicant. Notify the applicant prior to conducting a background check and allow enough time for the individual to resolve any disputes related to information on the background check.

The Easy Way to Hire Reliable Pre-Screened, Reference-Checked and Skills-Assessed Staff for the Holidays?

Work with a Workforce Solutions provider who has high standards for their temporary staff. For example, all TPD Fieldstaff are reference-checked, interviewed, and skills-assessed before being sent on any assignment to ensure that your temporary staff are still reliable and effective. Companies like TPD can alleviate your headaches and remove the opportunity cost of the time required for screening and background-checking temporary staff.